Identity
by mariposademuerte
Summary: What happens when you lose the essence of who you are? Where do you go? What is your purpose? The Winter Solider and Hydra's newest project may just find out. Winter Solider/OC
1. Winter's Grasp

A.N: Hello all new folks. This story is just a brain-child that keeps growing like Athena. I'm usually into Stucky but I tried thinking of what female could match the Winter Solider. Alas, this story was born. I'm writing it because I want to read it. So without ado. I give you Identity.

* * *

Winter's Grasp

Cold. So very cold. Why was the floor so cold? Probing with her fingers, she felt the concrete floor. It was smooth and firm under her palm. What was she doing here? Where was here? Her head throbbed with pressure and she moved her iced hands to her temple to ease the pain. Slowly she cracked open her eyes to see the gray surface causing her thermal discomfort. There was condensation from where her breath hit the chilled surface, only reassuring her that she was indeed alive. Next were the bars. Black, solid, immovable bars that either caged her within or protected her from the shadowed abyss beyond the light. Said light came from above. Twenty feet above her was a hole the size of a dinner platter. The light streaming in wasn't natural and provided no warmth, but it was light all the same. She sat up and cradled her head between her knees trying to recall the last thing she remembered, but only shadows like the abyss around greeted her. Her mind raced to think of anything. What was the year? Where did she live? She squeezed her eyes closed to block out the deafening silence that consumed her. She didn't know how long she sat there swimming in the vast desert of her brain, but when she looked up there was someone standing right at her cage.

She rose to her feet faster than she expected and crouched like a feral animal baring her teeth. There was no escape from containment and it seemed fighting was the only thing she could do. Her muscles coiled in anticipation. She studied the man in front of her carefully. He was medium height, somewhere within her mind measured five feet eleven inches, brown hair that reached his chin, and feral, deadly blue eyes mirroring her gaze. Half of his face was covered with a black mask emphasizing his dangerous appearance. The most striking feature was a metallic shimmer from left side of his body. His arm looked like it had a protective armor, but it oddly was only on one side of his body. She pinpointed this a possible source of weakness.

The stare-down continued for what seemed like hours but could have possibly only been minutes before the strange man spoke. "What is your name?"

She remained silent and glared at him indignantly. He sighed annoyed before taking a pistol from his side and shooting it an inch from where her hand was placed. She never flinched and continued to stare into the murderous depth of his eyes.

"I'll ask you once more. What is your name?"

She gazed at the barrel of the gun and then glanced at the figure standing behind the cage. She opened her mouth to say something, before hesitating. What was her name? Once again she tried to penetrate the darkness that flooded her brain. She had to have an identity. A name that was her own. Confusion and desperation saturated her features and she lowered herself onto her knees. How could she not know who she was? What happened? What is going on? Once again, pain flooded her head and she squeezed her eyes shut to only see colors flying before her eyes. She grasped her head between her hands and began rocking slowly back and forth. Try and try as she might she couldn't get past the force-field that contained her within her own mind. She continued to rock until a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Her eyes snapped forward to meet the blue that glared beyond the bars. The man was there in her cage and she was trapped like the bird she was. She grabbed the man's outer arm and swung his momentum to his stomach earning a grunt. Continuing to clench the wrist within her grasp, she plowed a knee into his back effectively getting the upper hand. It had all happened in a flash. An automatic reaction even she never saw coming. She quickly looked around for an exit but found none. How? How did he get in? Her mind raced with all the possibilities and outcomes, all of which, failed miserably.

As she contemplated her escape, a whirling sound increased in frequency and volume. She looked for the origin of the strange noise and found it in the man's strange armor. Before she could react, the arm powered the man and herself up, where he could efficiently roll out of her hold and grasp her throat with the metal hand. The alloy bit down harshly against her skin and she found herself on her back, clawing at the hand and arm ferociously like a caught wildcat. The man straddled her hips and pressed down harder as she tried to buck away from him. He pressed down harder on her windpipe and she began to feel her airways closing. He glowered at her and asked again, "What is your name?"

She felt her tongue going numb and she choked out a measly "I don't know".

He loosened his grip slightly on the girls windpipe. "What was that?"

"I don't know!" she screamed into the echoing abyss.

The ominous man came closer to her face, his eyes practically burrowing into her skull. His eyes were like blue fires of hell consuming her whole.

"Good."


	2. Little Bird

Chapter Two

Little Bird

* * *

The winter solider stared at the measly girl lying on the ground. It had been three days since she arrived at the Hydra facility bound and blindfolded. She fought the whole way into the lab before finding herself in the chair the Winter Solider was most familiar with. He could still hear the savage screams as she blindly lashed out at her captors. They strapped her to the chair and shoved the rubber between her teeth. She continued to fight until her blindfold was removed, and she looked at each one of her abductors with hatred until she reached his own in the corner. The caramel color turned so dark that they looked like the pits of Hades. She lunged her whole body against her restraints and spit out the rubber teeth guard as she screamed profanities. The hatred in her eyes grew so fierce that even the stoic Winter Solider felt a shiver up his spine. Finally the technicians had enough of her noise and shoved the rubber guard back in her mouth, but not before almost losing their thumb to her vicious bite.

What happened next was something that even the killer would not wish upon his enemies. He watched her carefully as the machine placed the electric probes on her temples. Her chest swelled sharply but defiance never left her eyes. The head of Hydra nodded to the technician and the brain-washing began. The electricity surged through the probes slowly wiping away everything this girl was. Her identity, family, memories. All were gone with the flip of a switch. She didn't scream in the beginning. He vaguely remembered trying to do the same, but in the end, they all scream. The action of splitting the memories from brain was painful and most never made it to the end without fainting. The process finished fairly quickly and left the poor girl succumbing to the darkness that would soon invade her mind. She was limp in the chair. Her now caramel eyes vacant and he suddenly wished for the unruliness to stare back. The leader commanded him to take her to the cells in the basement and to keep her there until she complied to work for them. He grasped her small frame and hoisted her over his shoulder. She was light compared to his own body mass and he had no problems maneuvering her down the halls into the cells in the basement.

She laid on the concrete floor for three days. Never moving. The first wipe was always the most intensive. Hard laden memories were hard to scrub away from the brain. Hell, even he had flashbacks to a time he doesn't remember. He checked up on her every once in awhile to ensure she was still apart of this world and on the third day, he found her in the middle of her cell with her head between her knees. If she looked small before, she looked miniscule now. The side-effects of the wipe were a gnarly headache that persists for days on end and confusion. He could tell by her clenched face that she felt both currently. Once she finally looked up, he could see the shock in her eyes and then the fast conversion to a glare. Her body moved languidly to a crouch and she bared her teeth like a savage animal in the zoo. It was hardly menacing to watch a caged animal warily watch him but it was amusing nonetheless.

His first and only question was directed towards the girl to find the effectiveness out the brain-wash. Someone's name is the most important and deeply ingrained word in a person's mind. It's their identity and one of the first things they learn other than "mom" and "dad". They've said it their whole life and when asked who they are, one simply answers, "Well… I'm me." Their whole life has centered around their name and what that name will achieve, and the wipe destroys that. It takes away the purpose of life and that's why it's the most effective way to manipulate anyone. Take away their purpose and replace it with a new one. He didn't know his name before this but now as the Winter Solider, his mission was clearer than a sniper scope.

He had asked his question once and she defiantly stared him down. He grabbed the black 9mm from his side and fired a warning shot past her hand. She continued her stare unflinchingly and he was slightly impressed. He was expecting a blubbering mess but this was going to be much easier to work with. He asked once more and saw her hesitate. The vacant look returned to her eyes and she crumbled to her knees. Winter Soldier sighed as he placed the gun back in his holster. He phased through the bars and attempted to snap her out of it. He first tried snapping with his non mechanical arm and receive no response. Next he tried shaking her shoulder and her conscious began to return. He saw the light starting to come back to her eyes and then suddenly he was facing the concrete with a knee in his back. He wanted to look annoyed but he was pretty sure this was the closest to surprised he'd ever been. Angry with his miscalculated judgment, he quickly flipped the odds back to his side and straddled her while clenching her throat between his metal digits. She thrashed violently trying to disarm him but she was weak and at a disadvantage.

He asked the question one last time before he cut off her air for good. An inaudible whisper came from her mouth and he demanded her say it again, but this time less force on her throat. She was cooperating and that deserved an award. Positive reinforcement was a strong psychological motivation. She desperately screamed an "I don't know" finally and he was appeased. He was going to break her down slowly and then rebuild her to be just as lethal as himself. He rose from her body and watched as she grasped her throat and inhaled air as fast as she could. Her body instantly went into a protective and defensive fetal position. He walked away. Back into the darkness where he belonged, and where soon this girl would join him.


	3. Sweet Vibrations

Chapter Three

Sweet Vibrations

* * *

Minutes, hours, days, months. Time no longer mattered within the cage. The light above kept shining, food appearing, and she kept waiting. For what? She didn't know. All she knew was that there had to be a purpose to what they were doing to her. Did they need information? She didn't have a solid idea what for. She was suffering from some kind of amnesia and she could not remember names, locations, or even faces. She had to have a mother or father, and she tried over and over to see what faces she could find in the crevices of her brain but was only rewarded with a migraine. There was only one face she knew now. The man. The man who had attacked her and had eyes that she found did not burn, but filled her veins with ice. She began to call him "Ghost" in her mind. It was the way he appeared out of the abyss like a specter coming to haunt her. Always silent. Then when she wasn't looking, he would disappear back into the shadows. When she laid down on the concrete, she could feel the vibration of his footsteps. She began to hope for those vibrations just to fill the presence of silence.

The silence. This was the worst part of it all. At first she grew used to the calm environment it created, but the silence began to get louder. It filled her ears and her mind at a maddening rate. Some days she would sit shouting just to hear the echo of her voice. Something to fill the void. She clawed all the bars and pulled with all her strength. Ghost got in, so how does she get out? She had to get out. She had to escape. Insanity started creeping in and she found herself singing for self-preservation. She sang awfully and sporadically but it filled the desolation in the abyss. Sometimes she would sing random keys, but sometimes a chord struck her. It was as if she had heard it before but it was coming through the static of a radio. Lyrics bound to her tongue that her brain couldn't register.

It had been days, from what she could think, since she last saw Ghost. His absence was well noted, and she almost missed his foreboding presence. Just as she finished that thought, she felt the vibrations that usually meant he was about to visit. The soft padding of combat boots on an experienced assassin trembled against her fingertips.. She remained lying on her back but turned her head to see him materialize from the darkness. She continued to sing the little melody that caught her fancy for the past few sleeps. Ghost never made conversation. He just stood at the edge of the bars and stared at her with chilling blue eyes. She had tried to engage him in some kind of dialogue before, to just to hear another person's voice, but she always just ended up talking to herself. She really was going to end up in the looney bin if she escaped this place.

"How do you know I'm here before I get to the cell?" he asked. Startled she sat up and stared at him. Good lord, she was hearing voices. She had really lost her mind now.

"Excuse me?" she rasped out, just to reassure herself that it was him talking.

"How do you know I am approaching the cell?" he repeated looking annoyed that he would have to reiterate a simple question.

She stared for a bit more before chuckling. "He speaks. And here I was thinking that I dreamt you had spoken." She looked down at the plain cement and placed her palm across the smooth surface. "Your vibrations. I can feel when you step or turn. I can almost feel your breath and heartbeat. The silence does that to you." He squinted his eyes at her in a faux glare and she continued "I always feel it gradually come closer but never sense a door open or close which leads me to believe that this place is a lot bigger than it seems."

He lifted a single eyebrow as though he was impressed. "The superiors have given you a choice." She waited patiently for her options. "You can either stay here for the rest of your life in desolation and deafening silence surrounded by a cage," option one was not looking promising, "or you can learn and train to be a superior human. Become a comrade and sister of Hydra and feel the freedoms you would never feel in this cell." He paused for good measure. "The choice is yours."

"I'm not killer." He looked at her oddly, "Well, I don't think I am. I can't remember with this blasted amnesia." She paused to think deeply about her choice. "If I were to weigh my options, I think I'll pick the latter. Any longer in this hell hole and I'm sure I'll go insane." She looked up into his stare. At least she would have a better chance to escape than in here. Just play along with the insane cult she found herself caught in and leave at the first moment's notice. "Tell that to your so called superiors."

Ghost nodded swiftly and walked away. The girl frowned. 'Well that was no fun. He didn't even say anything to my witty banter.' She laid back on the concrete. 'I bet the only thing he can say is 'yes sir' and anything the 'superiors' of this psycho compound say.' She began to sing the tune from before she was interrupted. She found herself dozing slowly, but right before she succumbed to the darkness, she saw little orbs falling on her from above. The little round particles dancing in the light. 'Odd' was all she could think before her eyes closed for good.

She woke up to the light blinding her. She cracked her eyes open to see the sun angrily glaring back at her. Groaning she flip over on the soft cotton cot and curled up for more sleep. The rays of sunshine warmed her back and she murmured pleased before beginning to doze off again. The sun felt so good. Wait… Flipping over quickly she gaped at the sun. There was a window! Looking around her. There was a table and chair and a shelf! She grasped the cotton sheets below her fingers and rubbed them against her hands. Just the feel of something other than concrete was bliss. Soon she jumped out of the cot and began running her hands over every surface. The grain of the wood was course against her palms and the metal of the chair was smooth. So long without the variation of textures made each new item novel and new. There sat a little old-time clock on her desk and she held it in her hands as it ticked rhythmically. The constant jerk of the hands and cogs shuddered under fingertips releasing a calming sound that washed over her. The consistent sound was sure to help her get over the feeling of silence that consumed her mind. She placed in down careful and continued her journey around the room.

She was touching the glass of the window when she heard a door open behind her. Ghost stood behind her with his hands clasped behind him. She was so absorbed with her new surroundings, she didn't even feel him approaching her room. She turned slowly from the window to face him.

"What are you doing?" he asked harshly.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You try going weeks with only metal and concrete, and then wake up in a cotton bed. You'd feel everything too."

He solely continued to peer at her underneath his strands of long hair. They stood in an awkward, chilled silence until he moved toward the door. "You're late for training." and walked out. She opened her mouth to retort but only shook her head incredulously before walking out of the door too. Just outside her door was hallways saturated in red light. Pipes and stray cables lined the walls and the hallways continued to part into two separate walkways. This place was a literal maze and her guide was no where to be seen.

"Hello?" she called out in expectation of a response. Nothing. She turned to her right and hoped for the best. She made turn after turn in faith that she would find where she needed to be, but continued to find nothing more than dead-ends and more hallways. Frustrated, she stopped and began to think. She leaned against the wall to try and figure out how to escape this labyrinth when she felt it. The tremor beneath her shoulder. The light bulb quickly went off in her mind and she grasped the pipe with two hands. She waited and waited for anything, and suddenly, she was rewarded. Ghost. She felt the padding of his boots resonate against the metal of the pipe and followed it to the source. The vibrations increased under her sensitive fingertips and soon she was just a corner away. She knew he was there and slowly turned the corner. He stood there looking stern and a bit disappointed.

"Thirty minutes."

She frowned. "I didn't know what you wanted. It's not my fault you put me in this maze without instructions."

His eyebrows furrowed deeper and a sullen look overtook his face. "Hydra doesn't need instructions, they give orders and exterminate the most optimal way possible."

The raven-haired girl sighed. "Well, I did not know. Teach before you test."

He, once again, glared at her (his favorite expression from what she could gather) and walked through the double doors behind them into a gym. The girl shook her head 'What the hell am I doing?' and followed her new mentor.

* * *

A.N. : You know what the hardest thing in the world is? Writing about a person with no name. Seriously. It sucks.


	4. Induction

Chapter Four

Induction

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Inside the large gym was a large boxing ring and mats thrown along the floor. There were weights and pull-up bars. It looked like a regular gym except for the smartly dressed older man standing in the middle of it. A tall man with knowing eyes and wheat hair greeted her. Ghost stood behind him as though he was guarding him against her. She furrowed her eyebrows before turning her attention to the new addition to her brain catalogue.

"Hello." He started politely. She nodded her reply and kept her eyes trained on his. "I see you made it here in one piece and alive. You weren't this lively looking when we found you."

"You found me?" she pondered quizzically.

"Why, yes. Found you in the middle of nowhere nearly freezing to death in the cold. We tried to get you into the warmth but you got scared and attacked the unit on mission. After a struggle, we finally got you into a car and brought you here. Our medics had to give you a mild sedative to calm you down so that may have caused a headache when you woke."

Many things now clicked in her brain. The pounding headache and aching muscles all made sense now. "Why was I in the middle of nowhere?"

The aging man smiled reassuringly to her. "We were hoping you could answer that, but when we asked you, you would spit out gibberish no one understood. Our doctors diagnosed it as traumatic amnesia and said there was a slim chance of you ever recovering your memories. I am sorry for that."

She nodded sadly. She would never know who she was or what she was doing in the middle of nowhere. She would never remember her past and that depressed her even more than the stupid cage she was in earlier. Speaking of which…

"Why did you lock me in a cage?"

"Simple." He began pacing the floor in front of the woman with his hands clasped behind him. "We had to watch and see if you were dangerous. That's why we sent Winter Soldier, our best operative, in there. To see how dangerous you were" He jerked his head behind to Ghost, or well, Winter Soldier apparently. "You know, I lost two men in the struggle to bring you here. One stabbed in the neck. The other in the eye straight to the brain." The girl's stomach dropped. Guilt flooded her veins as she was suddenly unable to keep eye contact with the man pacing in front of her. She _was_ a killer. "Two men unable to see their families again. Many corporations would euthanize the assailant for such a crime, but Hydra is different." He came to a stop directly across from her and grasped her elbows. "We are willing to look past the dead and forgive. I see untapped potential in you and am willing to adopt you with a loving embrace. You can become a sister to us and create a future where there is no past. Become a part of Hydra and try to bring peace to the world. What do you say?" He tipped her bowed head by the chin to reveal her somber caramel eyes. "Join us?"

She nodded a last time with shame hardening in her chest. She had to repay this man. He was showing mercy and giving purpose instead of ending her. She was going to do her best to stand in for the two men who's lives were lost by her hand.

The blonde-haired gentleman smiled at her and murmured his appreciation whilst rubbing her arms fatherly. He began to take his leave but stopped at Winter Soldier's side. "Now, play nice and don't be too rough with her." The stoic man inclined his head sharply in acknowledgement and the old man walked out the back doors.

Ghost looked at her, and she stared back timidly.

"Let's begin."

She laid on one of the mats drenched in sweat and heaving. Her muscles twitched beneath her skin and her eye was tender from where he had right-hooked her. Ghost had not been forgiving and had tested her every limit. He sparred with her whilst barking demands in Russian which made her stop multiple times just to remind him that she didn't understand Russian and him screaming wasn't helping the situation. This only made him attack harder, faster, and yell louder. During their last spar, he had finally burned through the last of her wick to the ticking attitude bomb dwelling on her tongue and she was seeing red. He went to cross punch her and she grabbed his arm and hooked her knee against his leg effectively causing him to tumble forward. She caught his momentum and flipped after him. She landed on his back and hooked her feet into his thighs and grabbed his human arm while digging her thumb into the skin attached to the metal appendage. He was sensitive there and soon huffed painfully under her grasp. She gulped a few breaths before unleashing a river of frustration.

"Okay." She started trying to simmer her anger. "Now that I have your attention, would you _please_ stop with the Russian. I don't know what you're saying and the increasing volume isn't making it any easier. If you want me to learn, then teach me. If this means I have to get beaten half-to-death then so be it. I'm a dead woman walking anyways." He had only scowled at her with his icy gems.

Now as she laid on the mats, Ghost sat on the other end putting ample distance between them. She observed him as he looked away distantly, as though he was planning her execution down to the last strangle. His face, arms, and chest all gleamed with sweat and his shirt was soaked. The tendrils of long brown hair obscured his face and made him look villainous even with his forlorn look. She could see a bruise forming around his clavicle where she had grabbed him trying to subdue the barrage of hits from every direction. Actually, she could see cuts and bruises forming many places. She had gotten a few good hits in today, which surprised the hell out of her.

When he told her they would be sparring she was instantly nervous. She couldn't remember fighting ever in her life. She was going to get eaten alive by the imposing man with an alloy arm. At first, he had circled her and analyzed with meticulous calculation before lunging at her. Caught of guard, she stumbled back and tripped over her own feet. She landed on her backside and silently prayed this wouldn't be the day she woke up in a clinic with a body cast. He gave her a stern look and she promptly rose to her feet. She offset her feet because she felt more balanced and waited for him to strike again. He paced again and suddenly threw a right hook. As she saw the arm lift, her heart rate slowed and it was as if she had been transported to a slow motion movie. The fist slowly propelled toward her face and innately, she curved her hand around his wrist and deflected it before crouching to the left. This caused his arm to continue right and avoid the blow to her face. His knee surged forward toward her crouched body and she blocked with her two hands before she swept his grounded foot from underneath him. He fell toward his back before rolling to his own crouch. His eyebrow arched impressed and the woman stood up in disbelief. Where had that come from? He stood up himself.

"Khorosho." He stated finally.

The raven haired woman glanced at him in confusion. "Wha-?" She never finished before he attacked again. This continued for hours it seemed with him at the upper hand. He was much stronger and faster than her, and wasn't even using his mechanical hand during combat. She couldn't even imagine what a fight was going to be like once that factor was added in. Her weak muscles ached in protest but she could feel herself getting stronger. This was good. This is where she belonged.

The next morning brought nothing but pain. Her arms barely lifted her up to a sitting position as she tried to get out of the cot. Her head rested in her hands and she could already feel the swelling of a bruise on her right eye. She groaned and tried to massage the soreness out of her thighs. Man, this was going to be a lot harder than she thought. As she rubbed the sleep out of her good eye, she looked around her new room and saw something new. On her desk was a bound black book with odd symbols on the front. They looked familiar but she couldn't place it. She grabbed the book with her bruised hands and sat back down on the cot. She flipped to the first page where "Russian to English Dictionary" was spelled boldly on the top. Her face broke into a small smile. This would help immensely and maybe take up extra time when she was bored. She couldn't think that she would get much free time. Maybe Ghost was taking her suggestions into thought and was giving her a way to teach herself. She shook her head. His name is Winter Soldier, not Ghost. There was never a Ghost. She would have to break that habit.

She felt tremors of someone approaching and placed the book delicately beside her. She looked at the door as the Winter Soldier opened it. He stood at the door frame and once finding her gaze, promptly turned around and left. She stood with much protest to her muscles and followed after him. Outside her door was a steel pipe that curved around her oval door to each direction of the hallways. It would be perfect to pin-point which way he went. She laid her hand on it and calmed her breathing and heart rate. The steel vibrated against her pinky telling her to go left; opposite of yesterday. She continued to follow the shudders of the pipe and soon found her way to the man she called mentor.

"Good." He called as he saw her round the corner. "Six minutes, but I could hear your clumsy clunking a mile away." She grimaced. It was never enough for him. "Today you learn stealth. Use your aptitude with senses and navigate a dark building without getting caught. Understood?"

"Ay ay Sergeant Soldier." She called with an ironic salute and made her way through the door behind him. As she stepped into the darkness, she turned around with a "hey". He turned to glance at her. "Thanks for the book."

He solely gave her a blank stare and slammed the door behind her.

"Well never mind then"


	5. The Team

Chapter Five

The Team

* * *

Months had passed since the woman started training at Hydra. She had excelled in everything they had thrown at her and the superiors were pleased with her progress. She was put in a team of four to study and train with, and as the only female in all of the Hydra compound, it was no surprise she was placed in a all male team. Said team consisted of her, Ogma, Rumlow, and Ghost.

Ogma was a large burly man with a wicked smile. He has hands larger than dinner plates and could probably snap your neck easier than breaking a toothpick. He had a morose sense of humor, not very bright, and walked around like he owned the place. His Hydra uniform always made him uncomfortable due to his size so he liked to keep his jacket and Kevlar unzipped and opened at all times. Even fighting. At first, she didn't like him and avoided him at all costs. He had tried to hit on her the very moment he met her but was soon silenced by a look from Rumlow. Now, after much convincing and team-building exercises (namely sparring), he was a valued comrade during crowd fights. He was not the most adept hand-to-hand fighter but used his insane strength to even the score. Not only could he barrel a pathway clear, but he could throw her clear across the room to divide the fight. But, that's always what he would be. A compatriot, not a friend. There was something corrupt behind his eyes that never let her trust him fully.

Rumlow was for her easier to befriend. He resembles Ghost in build; medium height with good muscle mass, but is no where matched in strength. Rumlow is instead entrusted with knives and weapon duty. He's a sharpshooter with formidable agility. The man was always carrying weapons and teased her constantly about Hydra's distrust with her and weapons. After training two days with knives, she was able to take down both Rumlow and Ghost at the same time. The superiors, ever cautious, told her once she was inducted into Hydra she could have all the weapons desired, but for now, no death devices out of the gym. Rumlow continuously cracked snide remarks about it for a full month before she put him on his back cited a promise that he would lose his testicles if he joked about it one more time. He had simply laughed it off and told her to take it easy. That was Rumlow's humor. If he wasn't making fun of you, he didn't like you.

Lastly, there was Ghost. Yes, not Winter Soldier, but Ghost. She had been calling him that for about three months now, since it slipped during double sparring. It was her and him tag teaming against Ogma and Rumlow, and they worked insanely well together. He used her usage of sensory vibrations to allow her to sense his and their enemy's next moves. They flowed together like wind and water and it was no secret that they had synchronicity. Hell, no one in Hydra, even four man teams, would face them without a clear advantage. The only one's stupid enough to face them two-on-two was their other teammates because of their ludicrous manly pride.

They had been sparring with real blows for about ten minutes before she felt her and Ghost's synch dismantle. She usually sparred bare-footed at the gym, but was given engineered thin shoes that amplified the tremors during her third month on the team. She refused to wear the shoes during team spars because she needed to hone her ability, not make it easier. Rumlow, who she was currently facing, and Ghost were around the same weight, so they were the hardest to differentiate when bare-footed. She could usually figure out which belonged to which man by the pattern of their moves, but with Ogma's overbearing footsteps, it was getting harder. She would catch Ghost's foot fall before receiving a kick to the side and realizing too late she had been following Rumlow's the whole time. Frustrated, she tackled Rumlow to the ground and held his arms firmly to the mats. Rumlow was stronger than her so this would only last so long.

"Ghost!" she called without thinking. She had never said that name out loud, and quickly she felt foolish. The Winter Soldier furrowed his eyebrows as she quickly tried to cover up her mistake. "I mean, Winter Soldier, whatever. _идите сюда_. You're out of synch." He nodded and sprinted toward her with Ogma barreling after. Rumlow was slowly overpowering her and she reached out a hand to the Winter Soldier. He grabbed it while running, swung her in the air off Rumlow, and pivoted. While arching around, she extended her leg and nailed Ogma right in the side of face. The poor oaf's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he crumbled to the ground mid-run. Rumlow, recovering from her tackle and now in a low crouch, sighed before sitting back on his butt and putting his hands in the air as a surrender.

"It's not even fair fighting you guys." He joked smiling. "It's like trying to fight a tornado. All you get is backlash."

"Giving up already?" she chided smiling as Ghost put her down gently. "I'm pretty sure you could try to takedown one of us by yourself."

He shook his head and wiped the sweat form his brow. "Hell no. I don't have a death wish." She walked towards him and offered a hand. He gratefully grasped it and rose to his feet. "Not bad, Runt." He complimented as he playful pulled her ponytail. Ah, yes, Runt. An affectionate name they had given her. She didn't particularly like it, but it was the closest thing to a name she had received. Only Ogma and Rumlow used it. The rest of Hydra solely called her "woman", because she was oddly the only one around. Well, all except Ghost. He never called her anything other than "you". The fact that he didn't talk much outside of training probably had something to do with it. The always silent tortured soldier.

The caramel eyed girl punched him playful back. "You need help with Ogma? I don't think he'll be up for awhile." She pointed to the mountain of a man face down on the mats. He was starting to snore which usually meant he was going to be out for at least an hour.

Rumlow huffed lowly before stating that he could do himself, after all he was the loser. He grabbed his partner's arm and dragged him out of the gym towards the dorms. She laughed lightly before turning the Ghost. She smiled and was about to ask if they were done but was interrupted.

"Who's Ghost?" he asked sternly.

The woman could feel the red creeping up her neck to her ears. Usually she was able to keep her cool. The week of interrogation training had helped her discard all her nervous ticks and adopt good ways to keep calm under fire, but for some ungodly reason, she was never able to lie convincingly to him.

"It's nothing." He looked at her skeptically. "Just something stupid I swear. Not worth the explanation."

She started to fidget. Oh god, she was screwing things up. He gave her a stern look before sitting on the mat. He looked directly next to him in a commanding look that meant he wanted her to sit. As every neuron in her brain screamed no, her body listened to his request. She sat silently on the mat, wrapped her arms around her folded legs, and placed her chin on her knees. Maybe this way she wouldn't have to look at him. The gym was eerily quiet, and she never did well with silence after the whole holding cell fiasco. She began to hum one of the songs she liked, the one that sounded like an anthem. Beside her, the Winter Soldier silently leaned back on his hands.

"Tell me." He said almost softly compared to his usually harsh tone. "It can't be that bad." He looked at her, and for the first time, she didn't see murder and hate behind his eyes. She didn't see the pain and vacancy death usually caused. She must have looked shocked, because he turned away to look at the wall.

Recovering, she sighed heavily "Fine." She rubbed her arms to ward off a faux chill. "When I was in the basement, it was so dark and quiet that I would have done anything to talk to someone or do something. I don't know. When you 'visited' it was sort of a relief. You were another human being and the only thing of consistency in that hell hole. You never talked so I sort of just gave you a name. Ghost seemed fitting, since before I could feel the vibrations, you would just appear and disappear. Never saying anything." He didn't move. "I know it's stupid but after so long, it seems I can't fight the habit."

She began to chew her lip. She hated talking about the cage but most of all, revealing something so childish. He would probably make her run laps for such a ridiculous thought. She waited quietly for him to say something whilst rattling with her mind how stupid she was. Ten minutes ticked by on the clock above the door, and agents from other divisions were filing in for their training. She rocked back from her butt to her heels before standing to leave.

"So," she started nervously, "I'm going to go now. I guess I'll see you tonight at the canteen."

She turned toward the door and started to walk back to her room when a hand on her wrist stopped her. She looked back surprised. He had grabbed her and finally looked at her with level eyes. She stopped and waited for him to say something. Anything.

He gazed at her. "I like it." He promptly let go and stood to take his leave. She smiled softly and followed after him. From then on, they had never been closer. They were comrades on a mission, and although she didn't know where he stood on loyalty, she was going to fight to the end with him. She would give her life for her new family, even Ogma.

After that day, he just became Ghost to her, and Rumlow and Ogma never said anything about. They just accepted it just like they accepted her. They never used the name themselves, but also didn't ridicule or make rude and snide remarks about it either. For the first time since she woke up, she was happy.

They had been together for seven months now and still they had not been given a actual mission. To be inducted into Hydra, you had to complete a mission thoroughly and report back with evidence. Ogma, Rumlow, and Ghost had all completed their initiation missions and were full fledge members of Hydra. She was waiting patiently for hers, and rumor around the compound was that it was coming. Soon. Every time one of the superiors wanted to speak with her, butterflies erupted in her stomach and she thought it would finally be time. A month passed and she received no news. She was angry and frustrated with the lack of progression, and soon took it out on her sparring partners. She was ruthless on the mats. Rumlow and Ogma finally saw the savageness of her fury and refused to spar with her, which made her angrier. It was only Ghost that would fight her and he was the best of Hydra. She would continue fighting until she won or physically couldn't stand anymore. This lasted until she broke Ghost's mechanical hand and the superiors realized that it was time.

Four days after the hand-breaking incident, the woman with black hair and caramel eyes rounded the corner to the gym. She no longer needed the pipes to navigate around the maze of Hydra. She hadn't thought about this before, how did people without her sensitive touch maneuver around? There were no signs pointing to the bathrooms, canteen, or gym. This place was one big floating enigma of hallways. Mulling it over, she entered the gym to find all the superiors and team members standing in a line to greet her. She froze and looked at each warily. They all smiled a pleasant superior smile and the golden–haired man she met during her first day as a trainee stepped forward.

"Child" he stated proudly. "You have proven yourself in the ring and within your team. The council and I believe it is time. Time for you to join your brothers." He continued to smile and her team, well Ogma and Rumlow, smiled smugly with approval within their eyes as they stood behind the leaders of Hydra. Ghost stood among them as well, but wore his full mask so she couldn't see his face. She wanted to believe he was looking at her with pride, but she knew he was probably just as aloof as usual. She drew her attention back to the older gentleman who was now politely asking the man beside him for the mission file. Receiving it, he paced toward the only woman in the room. Her heart beat wildly in her ribcage as she excitedly stared at the yellow folder in her superior's hand. This couldn't be happening. Days she had dreamed about this and it was finally happening. With shaking hands, she deftly clamped her hands around the folder as if it was her lifeline. The man placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Make us proud."

She nodded enthusiastically.

He smiled once more and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. "Hail Hydra, my daughter."

She smiled widely.

"Hail Hydra."

* * *

Thank you to all those who favorited, followed, and reviewed. It keeps me sane :)


	6. Overt to Covert

Chapter Six

Overt to Covert

* * *

Planes. She now knew she hated planes. The big barreled death machine floating in the sky. She closed her eyes and thought of her little clock in her room and the rhythmic ticking it made. It was the only thing distracting her from throwing up as bile concentrated behind her lungs. It also didn't help that the butterflies in her stomach were flying like maniacs and making her even sicker with nervousness. Ogma laughed at the petite woman and leaned back against the body of the flying machine. He had been laughing at her miserable face since they took off. They had been flying for an hour now in the largest, most conspicuous plane ever created. The engines on the wings were two times her size in diameter and held on with a tiny little piece of metal. She knew that any moment now, one was going to snap off and ram into the side of the monstrosity. She groaned and waited the rest of the flight with a promise to never ever get on a plane again after this mission.

When the plane finally landed and left her and her team at a airport base on the outskirts of the city, she stood and smelled the air around. It was so fresh compared to the stale, fear saturated air within the plane. She felt revitalized just by gulping the air by the lungful. Her team had let her rediscover the outside for about a minute before pushing her towards a van. Rumlow opened the passenger side for her and winked.

"You'll want a front row seat for this."

She grinned and climbed in. Ghost and Ogma clamored to the back whilst Rumlow sat in the front seat to drive. He was the most experienced driver because when he wasn't training with the team, he was working an under-cover mission. He had been on this mission for a year now infiltrating the American government and working with the leader to slowly convert the enemy into an alliance. She missed him on those days but knew he was doing it for the family.

As they cruised through the lit city of downtown D.C. she gripped the side armrest until her knuckles were white. It was all she could do from not pressing her face to the window. There was life out there. People were walking and talking, going about their night, having fun, and just living. They had no idea what was going on and there was so many. So many bodies moving and gliding around in linear patterns. Next were the noises. Oh, the noises. The cacophony of sounds filled her ears and mind with the most beautiful mess of bliss. The cars honking, people laughing, sirens, and general sound of life created a energetic song that permeated her entire being. She was enraptured by the city.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Rumlow said from her side.

All she could muster was a soft "yeah" before continuing to watch the light show outside her window.

"You haven't even seen the best part." Ogma rasped from the back. "Wait 'til you go to your first bar. And the gentlemen's club…" he whistled forlornly.

She looked back disgusted and proceeded to ignore him.

"Shut up, Ogma." Rumlow replied for her. "We're here on a mission, not to catch tail."

Ogma grunted a laugh. "Doesn't mean we can't do both." The woman rolled her eyes and waited for her stop. The van went on for five minutes turning down the different veins of the city before stopping behind a large residential building.

"Okay. Here's your stop." Rumlow looked up at the top of the building. "The target's in the penthouse at the top. There are two armed guards at his door and multiple cams inside. Get in, get out. Remember to bring the evidence to the rendezvous spot, leave no one alive, and don't get caught. Last of all, do not jeopardize Hydra." She nodded. They had gotten rid of the cyanide tooth in the seventies and instead implanted chips under the skin that would stop her heart if she pushed a distress button and said the individual and private password.

"I'm ready."

The boys all turned to her with different expressions. Ogma with his wicked smile, Rumlow with his encouraging look, and lastly, Ghost with a slight nod that could only mean that she was ready. She gave one more nervous huff before sliding out of the van into the shadows. The boys drove off, leaving her alone for the first time since she came to Hydra. Sure, she was 'alone' in her room, but there were cameras everywhere that watched her every move. This was true freedom.

She made her way into the building using a decrypter on the back electronic lock. Simple enough. She had to figure a way to get to the top floor without being seen by security or cameras. This was going to be hard with her head to toe black suit. She stuck out like a sore thumb in the swanky complex. Well, the best way to hide is hide in plain site. She slipped through the first hall, and being the ground floor, which usually the meant to lowest condo prices, there were fewer cameras to avoid. Turning to the first apartment she shed of her glove and placed it on the door. Nothing. No one was inside. No heartbeats or breath. She used the small decrypter once more on the door and hoped a woman lived here.

Slinking around the gaudy apartment of what appeared to be a dancer's home, she padded to the bedroom that was garishly decorated in gold and leopard print. The woman shuddered in the sheer tackiness and continued on. The walk-in closet was to her right and she slowly stepped inside of what seemed to be a porn stars wonderland. She stepped backwards stunned and silently stared. Oh, god. How could someone own so many cheetah print blouses and whips. Shaking the surprise off, she ducked her head to find anything _normal_ for her to wear.

In the end, she found a pair of white long pants and a button down white shirt. She swapped her thin shoes for some cheetah print heels and lastly fitted a tan furry vest on top to hide some of her facial features. From what she saw driving around the city, this was close enough to current fashion. She looked at herself in the mirror and almost gagged. _Do it for the mission_ a hollow chant echoed within her mind. The final item she took as an oversized brown Prada that she put shoes and weapons in. The rest of her clothes fit snuggly under her ostentatious disguise. Letting her hair down from her ponytail, she exited the apartment and sauntered down the hall toward the lobby.

Thankfully, some of the late-night partyers were entering the condos, so she quietly joined their group and blended right into their drunken stumbling. They entered the elevators and one of the more sober young adults pushed floor ninety-six. One level below the floor she wanted. She waited in the back of elevator as the girls in their overpriced daddy's credit card dresses continued dancing in the elevator and cheering over nothing but their own drunkenness. The boys of the group were practically screaming over each other to relay the 'hottest piece of ass's ' they got that night and continuously one-upping each other. The raven-haired woman stood in utter amazement and muttered she would never understand rich young society. The elevator seemed to crawl up the floors until she thought she would go insane, and when they finally got to the intoxicated messes' floor, she practically pushed them out.

She huffed an aggravated sigh as she mashed the button for one more floor up. She began to strip off the pretentious clothing as the elevator climbed slowly. Grabbing her shoes and weapons from the purse, she slipped them on and grabbed all the borrowed clothing placing it inside expensive leather bag. The lights in the hallways were motion detected so the residents would not have to deal with the hallway lights all night. This made it all the more easier for her. She slid from the elevator with the bag in hand. She needed to get to the back hallway opposite from the elevator without being seen. The elevator closed, taking with it any light in the hallway. She sat in the dark and let her eyes adjust to the absence. The cameras attached to the ceilings were so obvious, it almost wasn't a challenge as she skirted by each.

Room 932. The room right under her target. She placed the decrypter on the electronic key pad and waited for the lock to pop open. The satisfying sound took two seconds and she walked into the apartment. Crouching, she placed one hand on the wall and the other on the ground. Waves rolled down the plaster rhythmically into her digits meaning that whoever was above her was snoring, loudly. A smile flushed to her face before she crept to the balcony. She carefully unlocked the door before stepping out into the breezy outside. She nearly stopped in amazement. In front of her looked like a blanket of stars covering the city. Every light twinkling to its own beat. It was a breath-taking sight that she had never even dreamed of seeing before. She felt like a bird flying above the stars. Shaking her head, she brought herself into reality and grabbed the grapple. Aiming it to the balcony above she climbed up to the next floor and prepared herself.

This was it. It was time to take what was hers and join the family. She got out her steel knife and silently slinked to the sliding door. She once again paused with her hand to the glass and waited. Two signatures, one a male who was snoring dreadfully, and the other a female. Reaching for the handle, she realized that the door wasn't even locked. _Easy._ She entered the penthouse to find herself in the living room. The bedroom was to her right and the raucous snoring amplified. She scouted the room for cameras and only saw two. She pulled out a high frequency jammer and clipped it to her pants. This device sent a sound that only the cameras could pick up and would override the main controls to reboot the cameras. To anyone else it would seem like there was a small power outage and give her ten seconds to get into the bedroom without being seen. She readied herself and pushed the button. She quietly raced across the room to the open door and slid in. Just enough time.

Looking around the spacious bedroom she noticed first the bodies lying on the bed. Their chests rhythmically rising and falling. They were deep into REM sleep. She could probably move around the room without being caught. She looked around and didn't find any cameras. Apparently the guards weren't voyeurists. She went in the large marble bathroom looking for some kind of evidence that signified the mission was completed. She ventured into the closet where she found a safe, and smiled before cracking it in two seconds.

Inside was a nine millimeter in mint condition. Evidently, her target had the need for a gun. What purpose? She didn't care to find out. There were a few stacks of money but Hydra didn't need money. They were funded by the leaders and supporters. She rifled around before looking at the back of the safe closely. There was a small hole in the back where there shouldn't be in a Man Safe 2018. These safes are top of the line and solid. There was no way it would have a hole that could endanger the integrity of security. Taking a bobby pin from her hair, she stuck one of the bubbled ends in the hole. The back end popped loose and she knew she hit the jack pot.

The metal sheet collapsed in her hand and behind lay a single folder with an eagle-like emblem. Curious, she grabbed it and opened the pages to reveal plans for what seemed to be a missile armory in Morocco. Interesting indeed. She reattached the metal backboard and swiped the gun. It could come in handy. In fact…

She grabbed a towel from the basket by the stand-alone shower and glided into the bedroom, gun and towel in one hand and the yellow folder in the other. She rounded around the side of the bed with the woman. The tan mistress was completely naked with her fire-engine red hair splayed in every direction. Tattoos traversed down her shoulder to the top of her hip. Within her hand was a rolled dollar bill with the reminisce of white powder on the end. Disgusted, the raven-haired woman wrapped the towel around the nine millimeter to muffle the shot to the prostitutes head. Rule one: no one left behind. This was not a mantra about teamwork, it meant you were to leave no witnesses and no one alive. Those guilty of association were to be put down. The shot was clean and precise. Like she trained. The man beside her flinched within his sleep but never woke. The woman felt a roguish smile begin to form on her lips. She sauntered to the round-bellied man blissfully asleep. His nose coated with the ivory evidence of his high and hair matted in the sweat of sex.

She laid the folder on the side table and prepared for the last shot. Before she took it, she paused. He slept on the left side of the bed, had all his products on the left side of his vanity, and the muscles in his left hand more pronounced. Huh. Left-handed. Old wives' tales say that people who were left handed were suppose to have more luck than the average person. Well, guess his luck ran out. She pointed the gun to the left of his temple and pulled the trigger.

The force of a bullet at such a close range ricocheted blood over her entire body and the folder beside her. So much blood. She took a moment gauge how she felt about what she just did. She searched deep within her soul for any guilt. Anything at all. Finding nothing, she placed the gun in the targets left hand and disappeared from the room with the folder. No one would know she was ever there. With all the drugs in the apartment and the prostitute, it would never hit media. It would never be traced back to Hydra, as the enemy tried to patch together an umbrella cover story. She had covered her tracks and left no one behind. She had done Hydra proud.

The men of the team waited at the truck in an alley. The backdoors thrown open as they sat on the bumper waiting either for their sister or a phone call. Rumlow silently hoped it wouldn't be the phone call. He had actually enjoyed Runt's presence and wit. Plus, she had one mean tackle that he had been the victim of one too many times. The poor girl had it rough and he hoped they would be celebrating a victory, not a travesty.

Ogma had been complaining for the past half hour that they were wasting time when they could be out drinking. Rumlow liked the guy as a partner but he sure could be a pain in the ass. He usually just ignored the large man but as anxious as he was currently, he felt like socking the guy. Rumlow turned to the last person in their team. Winter Soldier had not said a thing since Runt had left on her mission, and believe it or not, the usual statuesque warrior looked uneasy. He had seen the partnership of the two blossom in front of his own eyes. Her flexible litheness contrasting against his merciless strength made a team so strong that Rumlow feared the day they would realize their full potential. Together, they would be unstoppable.

Turning back to his own thoughts he monitored the alleyway. Couples and homeless people walked by periodically, but none were the person they wanted to see. He was beginning to worry and fidget. Suddenly, a woman in solid white and a horrid vest turned down the alleyway, strolling leisurely in large printed heels. Ogma made a low whistle. Rumlow was about to turn and stop him from harassing the woman who was probably lost, when Winter Soldier stood and met the woman about five feet from the van. Confused, Rumlow looked closely at the woman's face. Sure enough, Runt's bright eyes met his.

"Well, I'll be damned."

Winter Soldier scanned her closely and when he detected nothing wrong, he spoke lowly.

"Миссия завершена?" _Mission complete?_

She smiled widely and pressed a warm hand to his fleshed arm before passing him to meet the other two. She rummaged around in the ridiculous, huge purse at her side and pulled out a folder.

"You miss me?" she batted her eyes playfully. She handed Rumlow the folder and he peered inside. She had done well. Satisfied, he placed it beside him. He leaned back and took her whole outfit in.

"Nice get up."

Mocking an offended glare she replied "You try going down the street in head to toe black spanks and see what happens. Though it would have been ten times easier than walking these monstrosities called heels." Rumlow and Ogma laughed low into their bellies. Shaking his head, Rumlow closed the back doors and headed to the driver's seat with Ogma behind him. The woman started for the other side before Ghost stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. The heat radiating from his flesh warmed her instantly. He reached up and swiped a finger against her cheek. As it left her face, she saw dried blood staining his finger.

"You missed a spot."

His voice was so low it was almost inaudible. She looked into his pain-stricken eyes and smiled softly.

"Thanks."

He nodded and quickly entered the van. She followed behind and climbed into the passenger side. As they drove through the city emblazoned with light, she sighed contented and fell asleep to the music of the city.

* * *

AN: Hello all

Okay I have some bad news. It may be awhile until my next post. I'm currently graduating from college this Saturday and I haven't even started writing the next chapter. There's a lot of planning in the next few chapters and it's going to be a rollercoaster. I promise I'm not abandoning ship.

Anyways, thank you to all who favorited, followed and reviewed. It means the absolute world to me.


	7. Mara

Chapter Seven

Mara

* * *

"This is stupid" a woman called with her arms crossed. She was tapping her foot incessantly in aggravation. Her vision completely black and the cloth around her eyes chaffing her ears. Whatever crude rag they were using, it seemed to be made of the most irritating fiber ever created.

"Mara, it's not stupid." the male countered, "It's training. Your adaptation to vibration is getting better but we need you to excel at a faster rate." The man circled around her. His form was rim-rod straight and full of conviction.

If she wasn't blindfolded she would have rolled her eyes but there was no point if he wasn't going to see it. This new form of training was requested by the superiors because the missions the team was currently completing had begun the new conversion. Hydra was going to resurface and bring in a new world for everyone to live peacefully in. They had started taking out targets regularly now that she had completed her initiation mission and received her name.

When she returned from the capital, the leaders had been extremely pleased with her execution. They granted Ghost, Ogma, Rumlow, and herself a team name. Valkyrie. A name she had grown to enjoy saying ironically and jokingly. They had also granted her a name because apparently 'woman' wasn't official enough to put on mission reports. The superiors had tossed around names for a few hours with Ogma and Rumlow throwing in 'Runt' and 'Pip-squeak' repeatedly. Arguments between two ridiculous names like Death Mistress and Medusa started getting heated, when finally, Ghost, her savior in all black, lowly muttered Mara as a suggestion. She had loved it as soon as it rolled off his tongue. The superiors had approved it too, muttering something about goddesses and death, and that was that. She had been Mara ever since, completing all of her missions with excellence and efficiency, making the name proud.

As of late though, Ghost had not been apart of the missions because he was an invaluable and apparently expensive secret weapon to Hydra, so she had been on a few with just Rumlow and Ogma. Sometimes Rumlow was called to his main mission of infiltration so it was just her and Ogma. Those are the ones Mara disliked the most. Ogma still looked at her with greedy black eyes that always stared. He wasn't especially bright either. He had almost cost them two mission by his incompetence. First by "accidentally" setting the target's house on fire. Second, he had alerted the security of the Yemen ambassador by falling out of a third story window. She had to do some major crowd control that time and slowly take down wave after wave of guards. Thankfully, she had cut the power lines and jammed cell signal before the idiot made his presence known. She completed her mission with two bullet wounds to the leg and shoulder and an unconscious Ogma. When she returned to the rendezvous spot for pick up, she was given medical attention and patched up to working condition. Of course, as soon as Mara arrived back to the compound, she was debriefed and the ever present Ghost surveyed her. He grasped her shoulders as usual and she flinched as he put pressure on the wound just stitched. He pulled back his hand seeing blood stain the metal. Fury surged to eyes, his most expressive feature. She thought he was angry with her and cringed backward. She was surprised when he rounded around and knocked Ogma out once again with a punch straight to the temple. Wide-eyed, Mara stared as Ghost nodded at her and left.

The next day, she was redressing her shoulder wound, when Mara felt Ghost approaching her door. She scrambled to cover the ugly scar, the red angry mark that marred her once smooth skin. She was only able to wrap herself with a blanket from her cot as he entered her quarters with out knocking, as usual. He was the only one she would allow to do such a thing and now she suddenly regretted permitting him to. She looked to the floor in shame as she stood before him in just pants and a blanket wrapped around her torso. He furrowed his eyes in bewilderment because this raven-haired killer had never been shy about her body. They were humans and a breast was just anatomy and a kill point for them. They didn't perceive sexuality.

He stepped forward as she silently stepped back from him, unwilling to show Ghost that her porcelain had turned to raw, molten flesh. She was no longer a blank canvas void of accidents and vulnerability, instead her mistakes showed violently against her pale dermis. When she could back up no longer, she waited with lowered eyes and baited breath as he approached. Silently, he gently tugged the blanket below her shoulder where the stitched bullet wound puckered against the skin. She watched as he ran a soft fleshed thumb against the risen skin.

"Does it hurt?" He asked lowly.

"Not as much as my pride." She joked meekly, trying to keep the beating of her heart from escaping her chest.

He looked sternly into her eyes. His mouth a simple straight line that forever made her stomach tumble around in somersaults. "Never be ashamed of your scars." Ghost replaced the blanket around her shoulder and lifted his own shirt for her to see the map of scars down his torso. Sure, Mara had seen her mentor without a shirt during training, but never this close and still. He took her free hand and brought it to a matching scar near his left rib. "They are daily reminders that we did not die and that we completed our mission. They signal victory."

Ever since then, she had worn every scar and blemish with pride. Wearing tank tops or simply just a sport bra no longer fazed her. Even now as she stood in a completely dark room with a pointless blindfold on.

She listened to Ghost's footfalls circle rhythmical around her. Their steady thumps against the concrete creating a sort of soothing sound. She continued to listen until she couldn't hear him anymore. Confused, she placed her feet firmer around the floor. She was not allowed to use her hands and her feet were more sensitive anyways. She felt around for a pulse or tremor that echoed his specific heartbeat and found nothing. Impossible. He was five feet behind her right shoulder just seconds ago. She concentrated harder, realizing there had to be a mistake. She took two steps backward where she last felt him and found nothing. Panic started to fill her veins as started to believe she had lost her gift. She felt around her and grasped what seemed like a bar and threw it as far as she could. She waited. The sharp staccato of the bar hitting the concrete shuddered against the flat skin of her soles. She let out a breath relieved it wasn't her.

She clenched her jaw in concentration. Ghost was taking his name a little more serious than she intended. She called out for him and received no return. She groaned frustrated and not getting the riddle, she just sat on the ground. Sure it was childish but she didn't want to play his game. Suddenly, she received a hit to the back of the head with Ghost's metal hand. Ow! What the hell? She rotated with her hands outstretched to feel the open air. What the actual hell was happening? She stood up once more and earned another hit to the back of the head. She pivoted sharply to grab for the hand. Nothing. Now ill tempered, she silently waited and calmed her enraged breathing. He wanted her to focus. Fine, she would focus.

She began feeling everything she could from the concrete beneath her feet to the air that touched her skin. Her flesh erupted with goose bumps as her awareness of the temperature spiked. Slowing her heartbeat, she quieted the roaring in her ears. Finally, she felt a turn in the air flow. Something so minuscule, she almost didn't trust it. She thrust her hand towards the change and hoped for the best. Mara was rewarded with a metal hand to capture. She pulled with all her might to the ground and earned a body slamming to the floor. She quickly set herself on top and restrained her mentor. Grinning, she took off the blindfold. All around them in the dark were hanging bars about five feet above her head. He was above her the whole time. She had never had to feel for something floating. Vibrations were weak when traveling long distances so there would have been nothing indicating him trapezing above her head. He was already silent, this aerial advantage made him practically invisible to her. She let go of his arm and helped him up.

"Aerial?" She was confused by this new form of training. "Are we fighting acrobatic assassins?"

His lifted an eyebrow giving an expression that was about as amused as the Winter Soldier got. "We never know what we're going to be faced with. The superiors want you prepared for anything." He grabbed one of the bars and hoisted himself up. She followed suit and relaxed to the swinging her momentum caused. "Your tuned sense of vibration is extra-human but I thought that you could grow accustomed to waves such as wind and water. Call it a hunch but it worked."

She nodded thoughtfully and leaned against the chains. She liked that he talked more although it was only a few added sentences. His dark, deep voice was tranquilizing. The fact that he solely talked to her was even more of a plus. It made her feel special and cared for, even by the foreboding, menacing Winter Soldier. She looked at him now. His strong jaw always clenched as if prepared to attack and his unshaven face. She always wanted to touch it, just to feel the rough coarseness underneath her sensitive fingertips. She would never do such a thing. Romance or even lust was not permitted in Hydra. It protected the company from inter familial fights and arguments. Agents went in with clear minds to a mission and meaningless relationship quarrels sure did ruddy that up, especially if you worked with them.

They swung silently for a few moments enjoying each other's presence while Mara hummed one of her songs. As she began to doze off, the doors to the room opened to reveal the leader. Ghost slipped off bars silently coming to a still stance. His muscles coiled and stiff, all traces of the relaxed man gone. She remained sitting on the trapeze smiling widely down at the leader.

"I thought this was a training room not a playground." he teased grinning. He looked to Ghost before telling him to be at ease. Ghost remained in his hardened stance. Mara had always wondered why but just assumed it was out of respect. She jumped from the bar and landed before the leader.

"Father." She called with lowered eyes.

"Hello, child." He came to stand in front of her with a folder in his hand. "I have a new mission for you. All of you. Rumlow included." Mara smiled harder. It had been months since they had worked together as Valkyrie. She was starting to miss the camaraderie. "It's an important mission with multiple targets. I need you all to do the best you have ever done. All information is in the briefing folder here." He handed the papers to Ghost, their team leader. Mara stood next to him as he rifled through the papers, peeking over his broad shoulder. Six targets in one government building. Nice. She felt the excitement bubble in her stomach like it usually did before a new mission. The leader nodded his head and bid them farewell and an echoing "Hail Hydra".

* * *

"Team Valkyrie, do you copy?" Rumlow's deep voice echoing through the ear piece. Mara pressed the button on her earpiece to reply.

"Mara and Winter Soldier copying from back door location."

"Ogma at side location."

All were accounted for. Mara continued, "Permission to activate jammer?"

Rumlow acting as principle plan keeper had control of the operation. She and Ghost had infiltration and disarming duty. Ogma's pounding feet were too loud for such a job and this was a delicate situation, so he had straggler duty for anyone who ran and escaped their grasp.

"Affirmative Mara. Let 'er rip."

Mara smiled fondly and placed the jammer on the outside of the large white neoclassical building. The tiny black box was the best in the business and long range. The only signal entering and exiting its width would be their own. Mara looked to Ghost one final time before pushing the back door open. He trailed behind closely laying one hand on her back as they crouched through the hall. Feeling the tremors around the corner, two guards stood at attention facing the main lobby. The woman signaled behind her and slinked to the guard on the left while the stoic man slid to the right. He nodded a three count and they took down their prey. No weapons. Just one hand covering the mouth and another snapping the neck. Blood is an easy smell to recognize and equally as messy. The more inconspicuous they could be, the better. They continued this silent take down on the lower floor. Never breaking stride with her, Ghost was as paramount as always. He never hesitated and was quicker than lightning. This is why she loved working with him the most. There was no nonsense in his tactics, no second thought. It helped her remain focused.

"First floor clear." Mara spoke into the earpiece.

"Come on, Runt." Ogma groaned from his side. "Let us have some fun."

Mara laughed quietly before heading up the staircase behind Ghost. Stopping at the door, he let her pass. She placed her hand against the door.

"Seven signatures. Two by the door and five at the end of the hall. I can't feel much farther than that." Ghost nodded pulled a disk from one of his back pouches. The blue ring surged with electricity as he slipped it beneath the door. The device discharged and Mara opened the door quickly to catch the fallen guards before they hit the door. She dragged them into the staircase, away from seeing eyes. Pulling his silenced pistol from the holster, Ghost led the way. She followed suit and crouched behind the corner, waiting for his signal. He nodded and they started shoot. The guards tried to lift their assault rifles in time but were taken down by the precise bullets of the duo. Five bodies slumped to the ground in a heap.

Mara palmed the wall. Two targets on this floor. Both in separate adjacent rooms. She nodded toward the large white door to her right and started opening the large wooden door to her left. Lying in a large four poster bed was the target. An aged man with graying hair. His thin athletic form showed that even in his older age he took great care of himself. Although health would not be the reason why, he would die tonight, all his work in vain. She lined her gun to his temple and waited for her mark. Ghost never had to radio her. She always knew when he was about to shoot or his plan of action. His body sent her signals that only she could receive and this made them a truly silent pair. Mara tapped into the heartbeat she would never mistake and waited for it to slow.

Ghost always concentrated before taking the shot, as though he didn't trust himself to hit his target. He always did. Rumlow and Ghost always had competitions with their sharpshooting but for Ghost, it wasn't even a challenge. He was good. Really good. Mara liked to think to think that maybe he was meant for long distance battles, not this savage, brutal intimate fighting he specialized in.

She waited. Then, she felt it. The focused attention that slowed his heartbeat and when she felt it skip, she pulled her own trigger. The shot was just as meticulous as the others. Exiting the room, she met the Winter soldier outside his room and glanced at his eyes. The same concentration and determination superficially shown, but beneath the sad, morose Ghost hid. She tried to give an encouraging smile but he turned away to the next floor.

"Last floor." She called through to Rumlow.

As they headed through the hallway to the door, it opened suddenly as a guard looked around the corner. The guard made eye contact with her and immediately knew they were in danger. He turned around quickly, narrowly missing the shot to his head unloaded by Ghost's gun. Ghost rounded on her accusingly, but she raised her hands defensively. She hadn't felt him coming. Her partner huffed and starting running towards the door.

"Rumlow." She spoke.

"Copy."

"We've been compromised. Watch all exits, they may try to escape." She took the stairs by threes trying to keep up with her mentor.

"I've got a sniper rifle that says they won't."

She next reached for Ogma. "Ogma, they might be heading your way."

" 'Bout time! I was getting bored." She plowed through the third floor door. Sliding on her knees ,she took out the guard trying to attack Ghost. The man went down quickly and Ghost continued walking down the carpeted path. There were six rooms on either side. This meant the targets were in four of them. She placed her hand against the wall.

"The last four rooms"

He looked at her, hesitance in his iced eyes. "Are you sure?"

She grimaced as his distrust and nodded. "I'm positive." She had messed up once and she wasn't going to let it happen again. The icy fangs of failure were latched to her heart and she felt a sense of determination like no other overcome her. She charged to the door on her right and kicked it down with a scream. Unleashing her ammo on the guards inside, she managed to take down the front three guards. Two left. She grabbed the barrel of their assault rifles and pulled the two to their stomachs. There was no mercy in her assault. She took one of the guns and whipped it savagely against the skull of one. The other reached for a knife but she grabbed his wrist. He stared fearfully into her caramel eyes as she broke the brittle bones. He screamed in agony as she swiped the knife from the broken hand and slit his throat before he could catch his breath.

Standing, she looked to her target. A short man huddled in the corner. He backed his body into the crevice as much as he could, trying to escape her glare. He trembled pathetically and whimpered.

"What do you want?" He cried as she sauntered over to him like a powerful jungle cat to her prey. "I'll give you anything. Money! Power! Information! Anything!"

A rueful smirk played daintily over her face. "Anything?"

Hope entered the man's eyes. "Yes! Anything at all!"

Mara pointed her gun to the man forehead and she saw all the color drain from his face. "Hmmm." She rested her fist against her hip in mock contemplation. "How about your life?" She pressed a finger to the trigger and watched the life end before her eyes. Blood lust consuming her fully. She turned back to Ghost who watched her silently. She put her gun in her hoister and leaned against the door frame.

"You want to do the next one or do you want me to do all the work." Her sardonic tone saturated the air and Ghost could tell she was angry at him.

He clasped her neck gently and looked in her eyes. "I don't blame you. Мне очень жаль."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll forgive you for now." She walked to the next door. "Help me with this? I think I gave myself a Charlie horse with the last one." She rubbed her thigh as he raised an amused eyebrow and punched his metal hand through the door. "That's effective." she commented as they pushed through and took down all inside.

This continued systematically until they reached the last door with the final target. "Last one." Mara said to Rumlow outside. "How is it on the outside?"

"A few guards on the run. Ogma and I got all. No back up, so the jammer must have worked."

"Okay. Let's bring it home boys." She ended transmission. This was it. The adrenaline coursed through her heart and the erratic heartbeats of the scared humans inside the last room just emphasized her lust for their deaths even more. She looked to Ghost one last time and fired a shot through the lock. Sensing the coming onslaught, she pushed both Ghost and herself away from the door as bullets shattered its frame. The petrified beings were just stalling the inevitable. Mara pulled out her own mask that mirrored Ghost's and put it on as she grabbed a small ball from her back pouch. Pressing the small button on top, she rolled it into the last room. Chaos and panic ensued as the smoke filled the room. Ghost nodded one last time before entering the fray. Her senses would have to do most of the work here. The smoke was a disadvantage for both the guards, target, and Ghost. She was the only one who could navigate through the haze. Feeling everything around her, she took out anything that went after him, disarming all within the room. He let her feel his powerful movements and adjust accordingly. He was so lethal and fast that she rarely had to worry about his side of the room. Finally, after many broken bones and slit throats, she dragged the target from the room into the hallway as her partner finished the rest. The man grasped his glasses in his hand and coughed violently. His lungs were seared by the smoke and he fetaled pathetically in front of her.

She bent down on one knee and rubbed the man's arm. She ripped off her mask and shushed him motherly before telling him to sit up. He did so with confusion staining his features.

"Are you going to spare me?" His eyes held so much optimism she almost laughed.

"Call it your lucky day. I'm feeling generous." She stood. A long shadow of dread covered the poor mans face and with a vicious grin she said one last thing.

"Run."

The man scurried as fast as his legs could carry him. She grabbed her earpiece and radioed to her teammate. "Ogma."

"Ya?"

" I've got a present heading your way. Dispose of him the way you see most fit."

Ogma's cruel laughter filled her ears. "With pleasure."

* * *

Mara entered the room to find Ghost standing in the middle of the piles of bodies and the smoke finally rising. He looked darkly at her and stopped her in her tracks. The blood running from his arm, trapped within the metal crevices. His hair matted in the sweat of their victory. He had never look so dangerous or attractive in his life. He looked stunning. Mara began to feel an overwhelming feeling of magma run through her body. A pressure in her chest she couldn't control. Everything biologically told her to pursue him like opposite magnetic poles. He was lethal, powerful, and a silent leader. She doesn't remember how she came to be in front of him, all she knew was she had to get his mask off. She needed to see that straight line of his lips and the coarse whiskers gracing his face. She ripped off the mask and threw it behind her.

His features never flinched, never moved. This close she could see the confusion in the blue eyes like ice. She was just as confused as he was. All she knew is she needed him. Like air in her lungs. Like blood in her veins. She needed him. Without thinking, she grasped his vest and pulled him towards her, capturing his lips in a fierce kiss. There was nothing gentle about it. This was filled with want and need too feral for simple pecks. She wrapped his neck within her hands and released the pent-up frustration. His jugular pounded boldly against her hand. It's rhythmic beating so intimate against her perceptive touch. She didn't know how long she was pressed against him until his own heartbeat started to race against hers. She snapped out of her lust-driven haze and separated herself from him.

Giving a four foot berth between them, her mind began to reel at what she had just done. She had broken a rule of Hydra and an important one at that. Her eyes looked fearfully to her mentor and she began to back-up. Ghost never broke the rules. He followed them down to the most meticulous tee. She was going to be punished and her muscles trembled with trepidation. He began to approach her and she tried to back up further.

"No."she cried softly. "I- I didn't mean to." He treaded closer. "I wasn't thinking. I-"

He was a breath away. His fierce blue eyes glaring down. She waited for her discipline with a still traitorous heart. He clasped her neck within his fleshed hand and did something that surprised them both.

He kissed her back.

* * *

A.N. I'm backkkkkk. Geez, this chapter was a doozy and I apologize ahead of time. I got crazy with the commas. So this was my first time ever writing anything like this so be kind. As always, thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows, especially repeat reviewers. I love having feedback. It keeps me focused!

Im going to warn you the next chapter is a bit rough and will contain sensitive scenarios. It was hard for me to write but it had to be done.

Once again, thank you everyone.


	8. Partner

Chapter Eight

Partners

* * *

A week had passed since their last mission, and the two partners acted as though nothing had occurred. They both sparred and ate together with their teammates. Still practiced their skills with weapons and tactics. Nothing changed except for the little things Mara noticed. Sometimes they would hold hands for too long when helping each other up. Press too closely together when sitting. A hand too fond. A look too long. She was becoming paranoid. The compound was filled with eyes and little birds that would joyfully turn the two in for fraternizing, if this is what you could call it. Ghost had nothing to fear. He was Hydra's prized bull and they would never get rid of their greatest asset. She on the other hand would be dealt with accordingly. She wasn't special, she could be replaced, and that's what scared her the most. This was her family and the only one she had in this large messed up world. Two weeks after, she began ostracizing herself and avoiding Ghost and her teammates. She opted to train by herself or new people claiming that she needed a new set of opponents to keep her honed.

She buried herself in work and started taking solo missions. Afghanistan, Mongolia, Uruguay. As far as she could possibly go. The superiors, surprised by her sudden fascination in international affairs, sent her on as many missions as they could. She would be gone weeks at a time and only stop at Hydra to sleep overnight before leaving the next morning. She was running ragged but refused to let others see. Rumlow stopped by her room and left her notes. Just how he missed her and wondering why she was on so many missions. She always left him one in return, making an excuse as usual. She nodded to Ogma in the hallways as she usually departed. Ghost. She all together avoided him. She always traveled down the hallways wary of his heartbeat. The consistent drumming she knew by memory. She was so in tune with it, she could hear it down the hallways and through the compound. Wherever he was, she was not. She didn't know if she would be able to contain her sanity with him around.

This day, she was heading to Siberia. The leader had caught wind of a secret base in the snowy mountains owned by an organization called SHEILD. She was to touchdown, scout, and relay information for a week if necessary. Mara didn't particularly like the cold but she would take anything to get out of the compound. She was walking down to the main bridge to a briefing meeting with the superiors and talking to Wheeler, a nice kid in charge of her mission folders, weapons, and preparedness. He was in a deep talk about glove upgrades before she caught a shadow out of the corner of her eye. So invested into her red-headed helper, she didn't notice the one thing she was suppose to elude. She glanced at him as her heart jumped to her throat. Dread must have filled her eyes because Wheeler stopped talking and stood still.

There stood the only person to know of her folly. His full mask on, hiding his face and eyes, which was the only indication she would know his emotions. It was as if he was guarding himself against her. She was the only one that could read him, and Ghost knew that better than anyone else. He stood stock still and rigid, a posture that defined him as much as his metal arm. He was dressed to the tee, probably going on mission. She tried to calm her racing heart and remember how to breath normally. She looked at Wheeler and smiled softly. The boy's sky blue eyes were wide in surprise. This was probably the first time he had seen the infamous Winter Soldier and he was a terrifying sight to behold. She placed a tranquil hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to meet you in the briefing room, okay?"

Wheeler nodded and looked between the two top operatives before taking his leave. Mara put on a look that was supposed to be haughty but probably came out more awkward. Her nerves were getting the best of her. She honestly did not know why she was so anxious. It had been so long and the feeling of overwhelming need had quelled. She no longer felt the flames that burned beneath her skin when he was around. Maybe it was over. Maybe they could forget all this and actually work like a team again. She placed a hand on her cocked hip.

"Long time, no see." She fell back into herself. A rhythm long forgotten. She quirked an eyebrow. "Mission?" Ghost nodded silently. "Oh. Well, we're heading the same direction." She turned toward the north hallway and took a few paces before looking back to see him standing in the same area. Rolling her eyes, she jerked her head for him to follow. He briskly walked toward her direction falling in line with her quick steps. The beating of her heart began to calm as she reverted back to the way things used to be. This felt more like the very beginning when they were new towards each other, but Mara would hold on to that while she could.

They walked as she hummed her songs. This melody of climbing chords. A stiff comfortability between them. Mara saw the door of the briefing room in front of them and Wheeler standing by it patiently. The boy was intelligent and nervous, but loyal nonetheless. She was always reminded of a spaniel when she looked at him. His curly untamable hair and large sky eyes always ready and excited to see her. She had grown to enjoy his company as she alienated herself from her closest friends. Wheeler had always been a welcome company and eager to please. He lowered his eyes respectably as they approached and opened the large metal door for them to enter. She smiled a thank you and drifted to her seat across from the superiors. Only two were present today. Father, Detweiler the head of tactics, and themselves sat around the oval table with Wheeler standing behind her.

"Good." The golden haired leader nodded. "You both came together. This will be the first time in a long time, if I'm right." Mara looked at the leader confused. What did he mean together? This was a solo in Siberia and not even a challenging mission. Scouting mission were usually handled by a single operative of a secure clearance. She was a clearance eight and almost overqualified for the mission with her heightened sense. Ghost was a clearance ten and extremely overqualified. There was no sense in their decision. "We're sending you both. If this base does exist, it is the holding place of something extremely important to us. We have ties in S.H.E.I.L.D but even Fury doesn't know where every base is. They mostly spread all knowledge across many leaders for safety measures. We need you to see if this is just another rumor or not and infiltrate. What were looking for is a staff." Mara opened the folder in front of her. A silver staff with a strange blue tint in its head was photographed and paperclipped to the information packet. She spot read the packet quickly.

"Will it be heavily guarded?" Mara questioned. She had never seen such a strange device. It looked archaic and rudimentary compared to the weapons Hydra usually recovered.

The leader looked over his glasses. "Let's just say that this is the reason New York was and is still in ruin." Wide-eyed, she nodded thoughtfully. This thing was powerful. She quickly skimmed the rest if the papers and memorized the coordinations. " You leave at 2100, which should get you to Siberia in the morning." The leader stood and the others followed suit. "Good luck you two. Hail Hydra." Mara, Wheeler, and Detweiler repeated the mantra, while Ghost remained silent. The superiors exited, leaving the three of them. Mara turned behind her to the freckled helper and handed him the folder.

"So the gloves will be done in a week?"

Wheeler hesitated. "Well, the prototype is done now, I can sneak them out of lab if you want to try them out in Siberia. I bet they won't mind too much..."

She smiled widely. "That's my boy. I'm becoming a bad influence on you." Wheeler shook his head. His fire-licked locks bouncing around his head and a small bashful grin on his lips. "I'll meet you on the runway at 2030, and I'm expecting your promises." The young man nodded before heading out the door. She let out a breath and turned to the man she knew would be there. He stared through the tinted lenses, unmoving. She tried not fidget under his gaze. Whatever comfortability there was, now gone. "So... 2100." He did not flinch nor speak. She rocked back to her heels looking towards the door. "See you there."

She turned quickly towards the door and made her exit. As she looked behind her one last time, seeing his unfiltered stare. The coldness sent a chill down her spine as she closed the door behind her. She just had to make it a week. She could do that. She was an agent of Hydra and able of working with others. She could make Hydra proud and hopefully rekindle the platonic relationship she had before with Ghost. She was Mara and Mara was lethal, strong, and capable of anything.

* * *

Her raven hair whipped her face as Mara walked across the runway to her plane. She was thirty minutes early to meet her assistant and dressed in her combat blacks with a furry parka slung across her arm. She took large breaths as she approached the large C130. It's grey hull ominous against the dark sky. Overcoming her fear of flying was necessary with all the traveling she had been doing but would be lying if she said her heart didn't patter wildly when large plane came into view. The tall Wheeler looked minuscule next to the large cargo ramp into the plane which made her five foot four inch frame especially tiny.

She walked up to the red head and smiled a hello. Wheeler returned a sly smile and pulled a pair of beautiful gloves from his pockets, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Okay, you ready for this?" He placed the left glove flat in his hands for her to see the details. The fingers were coated in a metal alloy, very similar to Ghost's arm but more delicate in its design. The metal curled up in swirls around her knuckles and ended around the middle of her hand. The metallic surface was strange though, pliable. " It's called suavinum. It's a man-made metal that functions like cloth." The metal waved gently in him palm, following his every move. "We created the modern day chain mail. It's flexible, protective, and hard as steel." Wheeler was grinning in excitement and his face practically glowing. Mara enjoyed watching someone who actually loved what they did.

"It's beautiful, Wheeler." She was grinning and crept a bit closer to see it in the dark. "Tell me its mechanics."

"Well, metal is the best conductor for vibration. So we upgraded the fingers to contain the suavinum to help your distance and sensitivity. They're also pretty handy in a fight." The tall boy gave her both the gloves. "Let's try them out." She slipped them on and watched as he jogged to the other end of the tarmac. He yelled over engine for her to feel for him. She placed her hand on the ground and instantly withdrew her hand. There were so many waves that she caught. She could feel the planes, the people, and she swore, the flowers growing. She had never felt that much before. Rubbing her hands together, she replaced them and prepared herself. Once again, a bombardment of trembling traveled up her fingers and through her arms. It swelled in her medulla and she tried to pick out the specific heartbeat within the wonderful cacophony. A few minutes passed, before she carefully picked out her assistants heartbeat. A strong beat oddly suited to the kind personality. She grinned wildly as she started yelling that she could actually feel him. He jogged back the forty feet with an equally happy look.

"They're perfect!" She exclaimed joyfully. Wheeler grabbed her hands and clasped them happily. "I've never felt that far before! It's amazing! " The freckled boy continued to smile as he checked over the gloves a last time, tumbling her hands in his own. She stared at the intricate metal swirls, knowing he put so much time into them. They fit perfectly and the black cloth that covered her hands was soft and warm, matching her combat suit perfectly. Wheeler rested her hands in his own and asked if there was any discomfort when she bent her finger. She experimentally flexed and clasped her fingers. She was about to shake her head when she saw the smile fall from Wheeler's face as he stared behind her head. He let go of her hands as if they were radioactive.

Confused, she looked behind her to see the Winter Soldier stalking towards them. His metal arm gleaming in the moonlight. She nodded a hello to his masked face. He stopped in front of her and moved his head to look to both. The tinted goggles making his stare encompassing as he stopped on Wheeler's tall frame. She gave a bewildered look between between the two males. What the hell was going on? Wheeler looked to ground, unable to met the imposing man's glare and Ghost turned away to enter the plane.

"What was that about?" She asked the red head.

Wheeler shrugged "I don't know but I don't like it."

She rolled her eyes and started walking backwards to the plane. "Don't worry. He's harmless..." She stopped, hesitating. "Well... Not really. Don't worry." The tall boy nodded skeptically before waving goodbye and heading back to home base.

* * *

Three days of uneventful trekking in Siberia. Three days of complete silence. Three days of boredom. Mara clamored barbarically around in the snow unable to feel her face or toes, for that matter. It had snowed nonstop for two days and continued to come down in troves. The snow level was well higher than ten feet off the ground reaching the middle branches of the evergreens surviving in this harsh climate. Her ears were burning from the wind but she was unable to cover them so she could at least try to listen for anyone coming their way. She was mindlessly bored out of her wits. There had been nothing but trees, snow, and one single snow rabbit since they landed on the ice desert. At this point, she would have even considered bringing Ogma if it meant some sort of change in pace.

A pace set by the quick man in front of her. His gait unchanged and elegant. He was streamline in the snow while she rolled after him ungracefully. Mara huffed behind Ghost annoyed at his ability to trance lightly across the Siberian snow. She wondered how he had the maneuverability. Maybe it was the days in the Soviet Union. It snowed there right? They told her of his past vaguely, but it was he that told her the details of what he could remember. It was very little but he said he remembered a siege called the Cold War. She would listen for hours during missions while he tried to remember his past. He would rattle off names and she would simply nod like she knew what and where he was talking about. Something about history and geography had gone awry when she was gifted her amnesia. It was as if there was a fuzzy lens that fogged her mind once a location or piece of the past was told. It was as if she had heard it before but it couldn't clasp it before it ran off. Other than the sites of her missions, countries, towns, and great cities were lost to her. Long hours of stories gave her a headache after awhile but she would endure the mild discomfort for the company.

Company that was now mute and cold as the winter snow beneath their feet. He had not spoken a word the entire trip. Not a single one. Mara tried a few times to stir conversation but he would simply walk away or nod and shake when necessary. He hadn't even taken the dammed mask and goggles off. It was driving her insane. She hated silence more than anything in the world, even the awkwardness of the mission. The vacancy of her mind was enough without the soundless environment to compliment. Songs had helped for awhile but soon her lips grew numb and lungs filled with burning ice making singing and humming nearly impossible. The melodies were no help solely in her abyss of a mind. She needed external noise.

Soon, her thoughts only turned to why he wasn't speaking to her. He was obviously angry with her but she couldn't figure out why. Sure, she took a hiatus from the team but she had done it before during initial training and a few times before the six target mission. If anything, he shouldn't have even noticed. Mara had made it look like it was orders sent from the superiors. There was no way he could possibly know that she orchestrated her break. On top of that, he had been given three solo mission during her split from the team. Ghost was gone as much as she was. Next, she thought maybe it was because she had kissed him. That one made sense. She had broken the rules, and with him, which made Ghost as much responsible in the eyes of Hydra as she was. Actually, he kissed her too, so there was no way he could be justifiably angry about that. Thinking more on the subject just made her slowly burn under skin. Like rotting wrath, she found herself getting testier.

Pounding her feet at a more maddening and energized pace she nearly caught up to Ghost before he turned into a cave to their right. The sun was past the tree lines so it was probably time to rest. The _Winter Soldier_ wouldn't need to rest, just the pathetic _normal_ human needed to rest her limbs and heat up the cold slab of meat called her body. She spitefully cursed him within her brain as he, as usual, stepped in, took off his pack and made a fire within three seconds. Mara could feel a heat she didn't know she possessed raise to her face as she threw her bag to the opposite side of the cave and huffed to the ground. Sitting on the rocky side, she stared down the man she used to call friend. Now he was just being a bastard with a stupid metal arm. He either refused to acknowledge her or found his knife suddenly interesting as he began to sharpen it slowly. Frowning harder, she crossed her arms and watched him sharpen an already sharp knife for thirty minutes.

"That's it." Mara announced as she got up and stalked to him, collapsing into a sit. She glared right into those tan lenses and made an ultimatum. "Either you take off that god forsaken mask and talk to me or I march right back to rendezvous and you can incur the wrath of the superiors with me." She knew the threat of the superiors was a low blow, but for them to work as a team again and put the past behind them, they had to communicate.

Both sat in harsh silence for about twenty seconds before he finally reached up and unclasped the mask and goggles from his face. He grasped them both within his hands and laid them in his lap. Looking up, he made her heart stop. She had almost forgotten the details of his face. The curve of his jaw, the firm line of his lips, and coarse hair across his taunt cheeks. Most of all, his eyes. The sorrow filled ice that pierced her chest. God, she remembered how much she missed him. Her hand almost moved to stroke his stubble with her deft fingers, before she shut down that command indefinitely. There was no time for this. Burying it deep within her heart, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Using her techniques of interrogation, she cleared her mind, telling her body that he was a comrade and nothing more. It may not be real but hell, she could pretend.

"Yes?" He finally answered darkly. A sweet tenor to her ears. His eyes were guarded even with the goggles off. A new form of hostility mixed within the normal sadness. She found herself suddenly less angry than five minutes ago. Just his stern face was enough to simmer her wrath and calm the furious beating of her heart. She sighed, giving up the act and allowing some vulnerability show through. She was going to have to forget her anger in order to solve anything and pierce through the shell surrounding the Winter Soldier.

"Was that so hard?" She tried joking, lightening the mood maybe just a tinge. She had come off very bitchy earlier and she realized that was not going to help the situation. Mara needed to approach this like an adult. He gave her a unamused look before waiting for her to continue. Her heart skipped a beat when she started, nervous as can be. "Why won't you talk to me? I thought we were partners."

"I thought we were too." A snippy reply escaping his tongue. Raising an eyebrow, she was surprised at the back-handed comment.

"What do you mean?" She treaded carefully with that response. She had a feeling where he was going and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"You left the team." He said looking into the snow behind her. His eyes distant and still hostile.

"I got orders for solo missions. You know I have no control over the superiors. We get our missions and complete them, no matter where or who with." She quickly replied, prepared for this accusation.

He sighed, rubbing his face in his hands. "Don't lie to me." He looked her in the eyes, the anger and hostility gone. Now, for the first time, she saw a tired soul. He was tired of fighting, killing, and taking orders. Tired of the fog within his own mind as two sides tried taking control. One, a killing machine with no emotions or regrets. The other, a man aching for an end to all the blood and confusion. "You were never good at lying to me."

She looked away, caught in her own falsehood. He had known the whole time that she was avoiding him and suddenly she felt something akin to guilt. She had abandoned them for no reason apparent to those she left. Ghost has had so many people leave him inexplicably and never return, and she had unwittingly added herself to that list. He was protecting himself. "Okay." She started softly. "You want the honest truth?" Sending a look that could only mean yes, Ghost sat patiently. She rubbed her hands together nervously. "I was scared." Unable to look at him, she continued. "I broke the rules and dragged you with me, but the thing is, I never feared for you. I selfishly feared for myself. They will never get rid of you. You are the ace in the hole, turner of the century, and prized fighter in the ring. What am I? Some random girl they picked up on the side of the road and granted mercy upon. They made me one of them. Allowed me to have a family and a name when I killed some of their own. There aren't second chances in Hydra especially if it concerned their Winter Soldier. We've seen it a billion times." She leaned back on her hands, the chilled floor quickly numbing her sensitive fingers. Looking into the fire, she shrugged as if to ward of her apprehension. Her shoulders remained stiff, uncomfortable. "That's the truth."

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Ghost gazed distantly outside, mulling over her monologue. Conflicting thoughts rampaged with in his mind as he processed Mara's train of reason. She made a good point. Hydra was unforgiving and strict with their policies. In all the years he thinks he's been of service, he has never once broken a rule that could be overlooked until this raven-haired woman came tumbling in his life with carefree smiles and wit. He could feel himself changing, becoming someone different than the assassin with only the mission on mind. Never before has some changed him. What's worse, he broke the rules for her. He had kissed her back. A foolish impulse driven by an emotion he had never felt before, and quickly quelled deep within.

When he had found out about her progression to solo missions, he thought it for the best. They had crossed into dangerous territory and time away was wise, but once it turned into three months of constant avoidance, he became annoyed. She was ruining a team and hindering Hydra by denying it their best pair team in centuries. He tried waiting, but soon became impatient, and cornering her was impossible with her damned sixth sense. Finally, he asked the superiors, much to their surprise, for a mission for the pair. Being the first favor he'd ever asked for, they agreed with bewildered looks. To the superiors, it looked like a regular dual mission to practice and getting back an artifact. Killing two birds with one stone, it seemed. He knew they would never suspect anything.

"What your plan of action?" Ghost finally spoke with a low voice.

She looked around the cave, finding the right words. "Forgetting it even happened seems like the best plan." Nodding, she found his eyes. "Oh, and don't become involved with or feel attraction toward anyone for the rest of my life."

He raised an eyebrow, settling on a sardonic look. "Does that included your assistant?"

She gave him a flat look. "Ew, seriously? I didn't peg you for the jealous type." He gave her a unappreciative scowl as she smirked. "Calm your metal panties. Wheeler is almost two years younger than me. Plus, he's gay so I don't think he sees me that way. I have a V where he likes a P."

Ghost's eyebrows almost flew off his face in surprise of her crudeness. "Oh."

She rolled her eyes. "He doesn't parade it around, and I don't judge. I know you won't tell anyone so that's why I told you. Hush hush about it, okay." Ghost nodded hesitantly. Mara grinned and stuck out her hand. "Alright. Let's put the past behind us and bury it deep deep deep inside like good agents. Partners?"

He gave an uneasy look before grabbing her hand in a shake. "Partners."

"Till our last breaths." She grinned happily before standing and returning to her side to prepare her sleeping bag. "It'll be nice to have the gang back. Team Valkyrie coming around to destroy and maim all against us." She laughed softly and crawled under her blankets. "Goodnight, Ghost."

He remained where he sat, constantly thinking about the last ten minutes. He nodded a good night. As he heard her breaths even in sleep, he turned to the fire. Watching the flames, he thought of something he didn't ever remember asking himself before. A side of himself that rarely saw the light. What did he want? Rewinding the last four months and replaying them like a broken record, he analyzed each fleeting moment. Kissing her was the first time he had felt anything other than confusion and madness. It was only time things felt right. He had missed her when she left and missed her even now in sleep. Nothing had ever happened like this before, and he was unsure how to handle it. Her suggestion felt like the best at this time, but some tiny voice inside reminded him what he truly wanted. To screw the rules. To run and kiss her, to feel her. That never got far before the shadowed mercenary took over once again, cementing the ideas of Hydra firmly within. A debilitating headache soon formed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He would think of this later. Right now, he had a mission to complete.

* * *

Mara sat with her arms crossed in the back of the C130, staring at the forest green box adjacent to her seat. Inside was the object the superiors desired. A staff of mystical origin. It had been fairly easy to obtain once they found the base under fifteen feet of snow and a false tree trunk. Ghost had come up with the brilliant plan to use the trees as sound boards. Nearly every branch of a tree touched another, making it a great net to catch vibrations. They had walked the forest every forty feet and tried a new location, slowly mapping the coordinates. Once she found the tree containing the base door, she near jumped for joy and started digging. The security system was easy enough to crack with the right equipment.

Once inside, Mara and Ghost had systematically taken down everyone in their way quietly. They made it through the base without raising alarm or incurring the attention of the other half of the base with the use of her new gloves. It was hardly even fair. The only problem were the cameras. S.H.E.I.L.D loved their cameras. They had to stop at every hallway and room and reboot the film. It made the mission take longer but kept the rules of never endangering Hydra safe. They made it into an odd safe room with one of the pass cards procured from a victim of their siege, and easily found the forest green cargo box containing the staff. Mara opened it to double check and jerked back when she first saw it. The box radiated blue light and nearly blinded her. It was oddly attracting like a fly to a flame. Ghost quickly closed the lid and she snapped out of the trance. The long-haired man grabbed the box easily with his immense strength and they methodically made their way out. A open-close mission, as clean as it gets.

The lumbering gray plane picked them up at rendezvous and took off without a hitch. Now they sat, shoulder to shoulder, staring at the memorizing box. Mara couldn't help but gaze at it, fascinated. Something seemed to be pulling her toward it and Ghost knocked against her shoulder, bringing her back once again. He sent a concerned stern glance before returning to his statuesque position. The caramel-eyed woman shook her head thinking of anything else.

They landed at base and exited the plane finding the leader waiting for them. Ghost had the package in hand and placed it carefully at the feet of the elder superior. The leader looked at it pleased. "Very good you two. I knew I could count on my very best." The two nodded silently and waited for their orders. "Winter Soldier." Ghost stepped forward. "I have a special mission for you. Report to the briefing room tomorrow morning 0800 sharp. You are dismissed. " The mercenary nodded once and took his leave, not before turning one last time to look Mara in the eyes. Telling her everything. Mara smiled and glanced back to the golden-haired gentleman. "As for you my daughter, it's back to work immediately."

"Well, work keeps you young." She joked.

The leader laughed softly before continuing "Then I'm living forever." He nodded towards the folder. "Your next mission is just outside of Paris, a town called Vigny. You and Ogma will depart in an hour and land in Paris at 0500. You must have the mission completed by 0500 the next day. Exterminate everyone. No one left behind."

"Of course, sir." She looked over the papers. She wasn't overly thrilled to be paired with Ogma but it was better than going solo. At least she would have company, even if it is the chauvinist ogre.

" Very well." He turned to leave. "Good luck, my child and hail Hydra."

She repeated the phrase as she grinned good bye.

* * *

Crouched outside a beautiful French country villa, she waited for her signal. Ogma had scouted ahead and taken out the outside guards and cameras with his massive hands. He was cruel in his executions but efficient. His favorite end was strangling because he loved to see the life drain out slowly. He loved suffering. Mara preferred quick deaths if possible, but could not disagree with Ogma's methods. It was silent and clean. No evidence.

She placed her hand on the ground with the new gloves secured to her palm. She closed her eyes and silenced the dead noise invading her ears. Reaching as far as she could mentally, she waited for the click of an opened lock. She filtered through the noises of the animals and forest surrounding her. A squirrel to her left. A deer thirty-five feet to the southwest. Feeling the metallic click she raced down the embankment to Ogma's beating thunderous heart. As she approached it, she felt another fade away. One more victim to the giant of Hydra. She rounded the corner to find Ogma's hands wrapped around a maid's throat. Mara gulped down her disgust and tried to power on. She went through the villa methodically taking down everyone in her way. There was no theatrics, just a clean mission is all she asked for.

She made her way to the west wing where the the target slept. The grand hallway was lined with paintings of family past. Their ominous eyes following her as she strode through to their descendent. She felt the hair on the back of her neck raise as she gazed into the different faces. Shaking her head, she continued on. The dark chestnut door was intricately designed with a large stag in the middle. It's hooves stomping out a snake in the grass. she gazed at it, silently entranced. Was she a stag or a snake? The evil or the good. Hoping she was the stag, rooting out all the oppression and wrong in the world, she entered the room.

In a large bed, laid the target and what Mara assumed was his wife by the martial rings on her stand. They slept peacefully, unknowingly at their end. She raised the silenced pistol and delivered a killing blow to each. Clean, lethal, and fast. She turned to the door to see Ogma stumble in. He had a wide grin in his face and blood on his hands. She could see in his eyes that he was enjoying this. He lived for this.

"Start looking for evidence." She commanded as she started going through the bedside tables. Ogma nodded and gaited toward a small desk in the corner of the room. She opened the drawers finding nothing but random papers. Aggravated, she turned to see if Ogma had better lucky. That's when she felt it. A soft padding down the hall. She whipped her pistol toward the door and waited for the intruder.

"Mama? J'ai fait un cauchemar"

Mara froze in horror as a small child walked in the room. His large eyes dreary with sleep and small hand rubbing his face. The small thing's hair was long and curled adorably to his chin in chestnut ringlets. Her heart stood still as she watched the child's face scrunch in confusion. His tiny heart so faint with youth, she never heard it. Ogma looked to her before raising his eyebrows expectantly. He wanted her to kill the last person in the house, a child not even seven years old. She shook her head furiously and lowered her gun. She was not going to kill a kid because of his parents. He didn't know any better. It wasn't his fault.

Ogma huffed annoyed before letting a malicious grin crawl up his face and walking toward the tiny figure. The child scurried backwards to escape the monstrous hands of Ogma. His terrified face seeing truly the inevitability of his end. Her partner snatched the child with red stained hands and held him in his hands as it squirmed to escape. The little thing called for it's parents, pleading them to come save him. Ogma looked into her eyes with the vicious smile still on his face.

"No one left behind."

She stared horrified at her teammate and before she could stop him, he slammed the little boy's head against the wall. His tiny skull collapsing with a sickening crunch and his cries silenced. Stunned, she couldn't move, or think, or even breath. She stared at the limp bleeding body in the burly man's hands and her muscles suddenly coiled enraged. She launched herself at her comrade and tackled the large man to the ground. She was screeching profanities and attacking any flesh she could find. There was no thought to her attack, no plan of any sort. She just wanted to destroy the thing that had snuffed out a life too short. She doesn't even remember what happened after her attack on Ogma. Just still images coated in red.

Being restrained, dragged to the rendezvous, the compound van, Hydra. Her world was quickly turned upside down. Her thoughts coming so rapidly, she couldn't grasp a single one in time. The residual question of her morality coming into play and wondering what was right and wrong. Mostly just the single question why.

When she did gain consciousness, she was back in her room. She sat up in her cot wondering if the last two days had been real. If she had really seen what she did. She looked around at her room and felt people approaching. Three signatures. She stood, still confused with reality.

Her door opened without knocking and the leader stepped in with two guards. This time the leader was not smiling. His face no longer holding the same encouraging and paternal charisma. Now it was dark. Displeasure gracing his scowl.

"You upset me, child."

Confusion and guilt battled within her heart. She wanted to feel responsible for the mission's disastrous ending but couldn't bring her conscience to do the same. "Yes, sir." was all she could muster with lowered eyes.

"You did not complete your task and attacked a fellow teammate. We do not condone insubordination." His tone firm. Mara thought about the following nights events and recalled the littles boys face. It haunted her mind to see his bright brown eyes and then his rag doll frame slumped lifeless in the hands of a monster. Ogma would pay. Courage flew her veins as she defended her actions.

"He killed a child! How could our family ever be threatened by a child?"

The leader's stature grew stiff in her reply. Sighing he explained himself. "Children grow into teenagers and teenagers into adults. If that child is allowed to grow older with the seeds of hatred toward Hydra already flowing through its veins, then we have just postponed a threat until later." The leader was stern and unforgiving in his stare. She lowered her eyes once more, his reasoning not unsound. "You know our rules, and you broke one. You put our family in danger and for that you must be punished." Mara's eyes went wide. The golden-haired man sighed whilst rubbing his face. "I do not enjoy punishing my children, but you must learn somehow." He looked to the guards on his right. Two tall men by the names Chev and Torke. "To the basement."

"No." she whispered horrified. Not down there. Anything but down there. "Please. Please, Father. I'm sorry!" She began pleading as the two large men took her forcefully by the shoulder. "I won't break the rules again. I swear. Please don't put me down there. I can't. The silence." The leader looked unsympathetically at her. She made one last plea as she was dragged down the hallway to where she found herself in the beginning of this mess.

* * *

A.N. I'm baackkkkk! I'm so sorry my dears! It has been a crazy two weeks and to top that, this is the second time I've written this chapter. You guys can thank the lovely IAmChatlotte94441 for swaying me from making a huge mistake with this story. It was bad guys... So, currently I'm in Belgium so it will probably be a week until my next update but don't worry, I'm diligently working on this. Love you all and thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews! You're the absolute best!


	9. Vacancy

Chapter Nine

Vacancy

* * *

The Winter Soldier exited the plan ramp, everyone cautiously parting from his stride. He was infamous around Hydra and not many looked him in the eye. The ghost story that stood before them in blood and flesh, well mostly flesh. He never paid mind to those below him, he had no care for power or revere. Only the mission usually stood sturdy in his mind, but that had all changed. His brain warred over two conflicting thoughts as he completed his last operation. The acceptable consistency of targets and missions against the person invading his thoughts. It had been twelve days since he had left for his mission and he still could not evict the little assassin from evading his conscience.

Making his way into the compound, he turned down the labyrinth to the debriefing room. His mission had, unsurprisingly, been a success. An easy recon to Egypt for a few missiles to add to the armory filled with weapons of mass destruction. Ghost usually did not like to mull on the details of Hydra but the sheer number of artillery owned by the organization was excessive to say the least. He understood a war was coming, feeling the precipice of battle on the horizon. It had been six years since he woke from the ice or so he thought, and he had been in constant work preparing. The tension that now filled the air could only mean that the day was coming. Soon.

He turned in the dark room, finding only the leader with his nicely pressed gray suit and glasses riding down his nose as he read a ledger in his hand. The crisp paper was drenched in red writing, many items highlighted and drawn. Ghost was too far to read it but it looked important and secretive. The leader looked up to see him standing in front of the chair. The golden-haired man knew better than be surprised of the sudden appearance of his greatest agent. He even knew better than offering a seat to the stoic soldier. Placing the paper face down away from prying eyes, he slowly clasped his hands in front of his face, resting his chin upon the knuckles.

"Mission report."

The Winter Soldier instantly replied. "Mission success. All missiles obtained and waiting for transport."

The leader unclasped his hands slowly and leaned back in his chair. "Very good." He looked to the Winter Soldier levelly and contemplated about what he wanted next. Ghost watched him carefully, gauging his superior's facial language. He was hiding something. The hidden smirk laying over his teeth said a bigger story than the man itself. Normally, Ghost would never think twice about this concealed secret but something itched this new cognizant side of him. Burying it deep within, he waited for the leader to continue. Apparently coming to a decision, the elder man sat up. "Our plan is on the ending phases. Soon, Hydra will announce itself to the world in the most brilliant of ways. Until that moment, I have no use of you. Conserve your energy and don't get hurt. The pivotal time is coming for us to act." The Winter Soldier nodded once severely. "Dismissed." The dark mercenary turned to the exit, disappearing. The rustling of the crisp page the last noise to exit the room.

Now, he was able to do what he wanted when he first entered the compound. He strode with purpose towards the one place he knew by heart. Workers and random agents jumped away from his imposing gait. Down the maze of hallways he continued. The random paths no longer a mystery to him. Past the gym, where her sweat melded into the mats. Beyond the range, where her first bullet had not even hit the target but the wall behind it. Finally, to the large metal door that held the only single room in the entire compound. Once a small storage closet, now it accommodated the only female in Hydra's compound. He grasped the knob and pulled it to reveal a pristine room. All the item untouched. Looking around curiously, he surveyed the room. She was supposed to return two days after her mission and yet the room looked like it hadn't been occupied in two weeks. The blankets on the cot, flat and unused. The desk had a sheen of dust covering the surface and the dog-eared dictionary he had given her laying squarely in the corner. He breathed in the air, only receiving stale air and none of her scent. His eyebrows furrowed. It was possible that she was sent on another mission, with the upcoming war, but it seemed highly unlikely that she would sleep somewhere other than her bunk.

He turned towards the door to leave, but something caught his sharp eye. There were fingerprints lightly cast upon on of the drawers of the desk. It's outline shinier than the dusty surface. He carefully pried open the metal drawer finding stacks of folded papers at the bottom. Curious, he picked one at the top and opened it. The top read to Mara and the bottom signed Rumlow. Something wicked seized his heart as he began to read the note. He felt no guilt or shame reading these. As a team they were to share all information with each other and as a fellow teammate of Valkyrie, he had as much right to read these than Mara. He quickly skimmed the message to find it was only of concern. Apparently, from these notes, Rumlow hadn't seen nor heard from the black-haired assassin since they got back from their mission. Ghost didn't like the sound of that but from the stack of letters collecting in the drawer, he wrote to her often and placed them in here for her to return. The large quantity could only mean there was no reply. The silent man returned the notes to the desk and closed the drawer. His thoughts were beginning to muddle within his brain creating a cacophony even he couldn't understand. He couldn't trust anyone so, he did what he did best and buried his worry and concern. He marched straight to the gym and beat the punching bag until it bled sand.

A week passed and there was still no word on the female agent. Ghost began to worry that Hydra had uncovered their tryst. The simple kiss that was even more dangerous than themselves. He wondered if they would be informed of her departure. A teammate short, Valkyrie still practiced daily as if she had never existed. They were discombobulated and sloppy without the small woman. A Winter Soldier not at the optimum. The only one even portraying concern over the missing link was Rumlow. His face creased in constant worry and anxiety, but like the others, never said a word. Agents of Hydra knew better than voice distress when concerned about others. Members flitted through the organization like the wind. One day there, the other day not, either disposed or killed in action. After awhile, they learned to stop asking which.

Ghost refused to think she was dead. Of all the places she could be, death was not an option. He wanted to believe in her, believe in her will to fight, but after days started to pass more frequently in her absence, he began to prepare himself for another loss. It was less helpful that he was sitting around unused. Unable to keep his mind busy, he trained throughly, but this meant little to his body. He was already at the peak of fitness both genetically and physically, and there was near nothing to improve. Once he was finally out of people to spar or beat his knuckle to a bloody mess, he went to the range. Firing round upon rounds into the dark silhouette did not quiet the storm brewing. Everything he did reminded him of her. How she used to concentrate when she shot, tiny furrows creased under her brows. How she would choose the biggest gun they had, to see if she could handle it this week. If she was truly gone, then she would be one of the few that would be harder to erase from the crevices of his mind.

* * *

Rumlow trotted his way down the hallways. Life had been good as of late. His covert missions with Captain America and team Stryker have been successful and the poor superhero had not the slightest idea. He almost felt bad for the guy, he was a good soldier and man in general. It was just a shame he fought so passionately for the enemy and served as Fury's personal lap dog. Everyone knew the Cap was stuck in his ways and converting him would be a lost and a dangerous. After all, he did almost destroy the whole organization in the forties. There's no coming back from that.

Today had been nice and restful, a gift from the superiors for his excellent work. He was planning on hanging out with the team, but it wasn't really the same anymore. He was with Stryker constantly and some of the men weren't as high in clearance so he had to watch what he said making it much less relaxing. Team Valkyrie wasn't the same anymore without the spitfire known as Mara. Sure, there was Ogma, the big oaf, but he was vain and arrogant. Rumlow could only take him in small spurts without wanting to strangle his thick neck. Then, Winter Soldier who would make serial killers look charming and statues loquacious. The only thing that kept them together was the woman with wit matching his own and her ability to make a conversation interesting for anyone. She could talk to a group including a Buddhist monk, an artist, and a prison guard, and make them all talk as if they'd been friends forever after a few minutes. However kind she was though, Mara could be just as deadly. Rumlow smiled at the thought. If it weren't for the strict rule of fraternizing within the organization, he was sure he would have tried to snag her for himself. She was a rare one indeed.

This brought him to his current concern. Where had Hydra's desert rose run off to? He hadn't seen her in close to three and a half weeks and received no replies to his letters. He checked her room everyday to see if she would be sitting there, palming through a new book she found. Everyday he was disappointed with emptiness. He was beginning to get worried, afraid she had fallen like many of his comrades before, but Ogma, her partner during the mission before she disappeared, was standing in the compound in flesh and blood. There was no way that Mara would go down before the lumbering ogre. Hydra was cloaked in secrets so she might be undercover, her whereabouts not to be revealed in fear that she would be uncovered accidentally by their own people. Just safety measure after safety measure.

The tall muscular man turned into the office of the superior. He had been called upon by the leader for something related to Valkyrie. He hoped it would be about his missing teammate or a new mission, but refused to hold his breath. He entered the nice round office sharply and stood at attention. The leader looked over his glasses and waved his hand haphazardly. Rumlow relaxed into a casual lean against the wall and waited for the nicely dressed man to speak.

"Rumlow, do you know what happens to those who don't follow the rules?" The question floated in the air as Rumlow's stomach dropped. This was not the conversation he expected. Thinking over everything he had done in the last three months, and was sure he had done everything right. He was meticulous.

"Yes, sir. Punishment or execution." He answered as calmly a his voice would let him.

"Yes. Exactly." The older man rose from his chair to stand in front of the agent. "Insubordination will not be tolerated, correct?" Rumlow was confused by these questions but answered a sure yes. "Wonderful. Well, I have one of our own that had to be taught a lesson. I need them brought to my office immediately. Go down to the basement and grab them for me. If they get too unstable leave them there and report back to me, but they should be subdued by this time." He nodded to one of the guards outside his door. "Take Torke with you. Power in numbers. Dismissed."

The agent nodded and left to exit. He glanced at the young guard and went on his way towards the lower levels. The basement was forty feet in the ground and only accessible by elevator that was biometrically tuned to each passenger. If you were not allowed in the lower levels, you were not going to the lower levels. Rumlow entered the elevator with the guard close behind. He pushed the silver button with a simple P in red before the elevator dinged at them. A proper woman's voice echoed within the small compartment.

"Rumlow, Brock does not have clearance for Prison level." The tall agent stared at the speaker bewildered. Since when was he not allowed in the basement? He was clearance eight for god sakes. He was about to question the elevator before the guard behind him interrupted.

"Override. Torke, Charles." Rumlow stared at the young man absolutely perplexed. This guy could not have clearance over four and yet could override the system to let him, a level eight clearance, down in the basement. Something felt odd and Rumlow didn't like it.

"Override complete." The sickly sweet voice said as the elevator began to shudder down the long shaft. Rumlow now felt the tension in the air, whatever resided in the basement was for him and only him to see. The leader was going to make a point. The large metal doors finally opened to reveal the large expansive space known as the Shadow Prison. Hydra had developed a way to keep prisoners in a large space but also solitary. Large metal cast cages stood about ten feet from each other but each cast it's own light. Outside the small lit circles stood darkness blacker than night. Fixtures attached to the ceiling sent high density waves that acted as a buffer around each containment cage. The strength of the sound radiated toward the ground, stopping all noise from one quadrant to the other. In all, making soundproof barriers that are permeable by humans and objects.

The two Hydra agents continued down the long dark hallway. Few of the cells held anyone of importance. A few prisoners here and there, all miserably stranded in their cages. Rumlow didn't come down here often just because of the hopeless morose atmosphere. There was no life here, only strife. Down the long path they continued until soon there was nothing but empty cages lining each side. The hollowness saturating the air. Torke trotted on until the elevator was a mere blip in the past. Finally, they reached the last cage tucked far away in the back. Torke blocked the view of who this mysterious person could be but Rumlow couldn't help but peek around in curiosity. What he saw nearly broke his stride.

There, broken and silent, kneeled the woman. The spitfire that ravaged people whole. Her head bent low and dark greased locks covering her doll face. She looked positively frail and small on her knees. Her forearms covered in dried blood that originated from the crook of her elbow, like an IV had been viciously ripped from her arms. Her skin looked faded and dull covered with scrapes and bruises, not the vibrant cream it usually was. He almost uttered her name in surprise before checking himself and remaining quiet. Torke came to a stop by her cell at attention and nodded toward the elder agent. Rumlow stepped forward and called her.

"Runt?" His voice cracked painfully as he tried to reach out to his teammate. The girl never moved from her kneeling position. Her body rocking back and forth slowly.

Torke shook his head and moved Rumlow away from the bars. The young soldier stood in front of the bars and grasped his gun between his gloved hands. Taking the butt of it, he tapped twice upon the black bars. As the iron vibrated loudly, his bedraggled teammate rose from her knees, no longer graceful but mechanical. She walked silently to the pair, face still concealed from view. Torke grabbed the bar, letting the biometric reader recognize his command. The bars faded and nothing stood between the three. Rumlow went to touch her but the younger soldier stopped him with a shaking head. Shock was still running wild with in his body. Torke grabbed Mara's upper arm and guided her back to the elevator. She went without a fight, pacing beside him with her necked arched towards the ground.

The older operative followed silently, watching this scene unfold in front of him. What on earth had happened? The leader had painfully made his point clear but for what purpose? Runt must have done something, but Rumlow could not see how. The girl was undoubtably loyal to Hydra from day one. Racking his brain proved useless, he was going to have to figure it out and he had a feeling the leader would see to it that he knew what she had done. A scare tactic that was working exceedingly well. Showing the consequences before the betrayal.

They continued down the dark hallway and boarded the bright elevator. The quiet that perforated the claustrophobic elevator almost made Rumlow, a seasoned agent, fidget nervously. The elevator climbed slowly and he snuck glances at her defeated form. He couldn't see her face and that was all he wanted. He couldn't believe that the spark was gone from those caramel irises, her smiling face wouldn't greet him. He didn't want to believe his organization had done this to one of their best. The elevator dinged loudly but the woman didn't even flinch. It was as if she was deaf to all around her, consumed by her mind. The more Rumlow was around her the more uncomfortable he felt. He quietly prayed for it to end, for this to be some sick joke everyone was playing on him.

They approached the superior's office, entering without permission. The leader looked up briskly and stood while taking off his glasses. "Very good." He slowly made his way around the desk. Circling like a vulture about to consume her flesh, he continued to observe her. "I suspect you noticed some differences in our Mara." The leader glanced at the agent, as if daring him to question his motives. Rumlow remained silent. "You see, I gave her everything. Mercy, training, love. Most important, family. Yet, with all the freedom and direction we gave her, she had the gaul to defy my orders." The older gentleman came to a stop infront of her. "Maybe it was too much freedom." He shrugged his shoulders sat on the edge of the desk. The small assassin continued to stand, unfaltering.

Rumlow shifted between his feet, growing more and more uncomfortable with the leader's imposing glare and the lifeless form standing in the middle of the room. The golden haired man nodded for Torke to approach. The young soldier did so stiffly.

"Torke, remove her ear pieces." Rumlow looked to the both confused. Earpieces? The leader once again continued. "Do you know what makes a perfect soldier?" Rumlow remained stock still, unable to move. He had never been so nervous in his life. "Silence. Obedience. Strength. Back in the forties, Hydra had perfected this. Doctor Zola's experiments proved to be a resounding success as you can see from our own Winter Soldier. You need to invade the mind, take control. Zola's solution was brainwashing. A rudimentary answer comparative to modern day technology, but a breakthrough then. As the years continued, we got stronger and smarter. Now we use an operation called phobic teaching, using the fears of a person to shape their psyche. It may be a militaristic way of operant learning but we have polished it to perfection."

Torke moved to the side of Runt's face, lifting her hair out of the way. Rumlow spotted oddly shaped metallic pieces in her ear, and blood dried on her neck. The young guard placed a hand at the back of her ear and started unscrewing a small piece. Removing the shining item from her ear, Rumlow saw a hole left in its wake. They had drilled into the shell of her ear and secured the earpiece that he could only assume blocked noise from entering the ear canal. The blood must be from her trying to rip out the pieces. Shocked, he wondered why they would go to the extent of securing noise cancellers. He suppressed a shudder as he thought was why she wouldn't answer, she couldn't hear him.

The leader called back his attention. "Hers were fairly easy." He nodded to her still form. "Silence. The shadows that consumed her mind after the wipe left her unable to handle solitary confinement. Her form of relief coming from singing and humming. So, when she first resisted our operations, we took that away from her too. The earpieces were specifically made for her. Completely soundproof. Now she is wholly yielding to our commands." From his vest pocket, he pulled out a tiny yellow pill. "This is a low dose of arsenic. Enough to make her violently sick but not enough to kill her." Rumlow watched carefully as the leader approached the only female. "Agent Mara. Attention." Robotically, she straightened dramatically and raised her head.

For the first time, Rumlow saw her face and almost reeled backwards. Her pale face was angular with starvation. Dark maroon streaks ran from her ears to her cheekbones and finally to her neck, making her look like a strange bloody warrior. All this was startling, but none so much as her eyes. Vacancy inhabited them. There was no life or emotion showing through. The caramel color faded to a dark brown almost black color. Her pupils were dilated largely giving her an even more gaunt look. It was as if he was staring into the reaper's own eyes, a complete void of recognition or the woman she used to be. She stared unflinchingly at the leader, listening intently. The elder man held out a flat palm with the tiny pill nestled between the folds of his hand. "Take it." Immediately, she grabbed the pill and swallowed it. Rumlow stared horrified. She had willingly taken poison and did not even think twice. She had become the killing machine the leader wanted; obedient, silent. The agent tried to swallow the fear that threatened to crawl out from his throat. He was seeing Hydra's true nature for the first time, and he feared he might just be staring at his future. Mara was second best in Hydra and they experimented and moulded her into the robotic soldier standing in the office with him. What would stop them from doing the same to anyone else? Rumlow started to see a trend with the best. All brainwashed and obedient, but in different ways. The Winter Soldier had been created out of curiosity and the need for a grand mercenary. Runt now changed for whatever problem she had caused. Both losing control of their own bodies and becoming a vessel to Hydra's plans.

The leader looked to the still operative and sat in the edge of the desk. "She is completely under my will and command." He pointed to her harshly. "This is what happens when you fail me. Do not fail me." Rumlow nodded once sharply, fear spreading to his limbs. "Very well. Take her to train and get some food in her. I need her back into fighting condition no matter how many hours of training it takes." He returned to his desk and started rifling through some papers. "You are dismissed." The agent turned quickly to exit, trying to escape the room suffocating him. Mara followed behind him, cloudy eyed. As he entered the hallway, he turned to look at her again.

"Runt?" No response. Rumlow tried snapping his fingers. Maybe he could wake her up from this nightmare. Nothing. "What did they do to you?" A rhetorical question that bounced off the hollow hallway. She stood straight, awaiting orders, until her body began to shake. Her face remained placid as she began to convulse. Bending over, she vomited acid. Her stomach was completely empty so all that left her body was bile and Rumlow stepped back in surprise before seeing the tiny yellow pill, half digested. As she finished retching, she returned to her upright position and awaited orders once more. The tall man did not know how to react and silently pointed toward the direction of the gym. Mara marched quickly in the direction and Rumlow stared after her, truly scared for the first time in a long time.

* * *

The sound of punches echoed in the empty gym. The Winter Soldier was doing what he had been doing for the past three weeks. Training harder and longer than before. Anything to get his mind off the thoughts that plagued his mind. They were distracting and unnecessary, causing unneeded worry for his single-tracked mind. He continued to hit the punching bag forcefully, the hard tarp material slowly ripping at the seams. This would be the fourth bag he had destroyed in a week. The compound was slowly running out of inventory and Ghost didn't know what he would do when the day came and there was no more equipment to occupy his mind. His fleshed hand was battered pretty badly but he usually healed fast, plus with his pain tolerance, he couldn't be bothered with the slight sting after each strike against the hard sand.

He had been in the gym for about twenty minutes when the doors opened to reveal a figure. In the darkness of the room, he could only see the outline of a feminine stature and its rigid posture. Quickly, he stopped his exercise and stood still, trying to recognize the person. Hope filled his body, but soon disappeared when he noticed subtle differences that only disproved it wasn't her. It wasn't the woman who consumed his mind. Too skinny. Too upright. Too silent. He silently stood observing the distant figure before turning to resume beating a bag to a pulp.

Getting about three punches in, he was interrupted once again by the door, this time it was someone he knew. Rumlow was someone Winter Soldier could pick from a crowd easily. He was a good comrade and teammate. The new arrival turned to the shrouded woman and spoke quietly to her before pacing toward Ghost. Rumlow's face became clearer as he closed the distance between them, the girl following behind. Ghost was about to nod a greeting but was stopped when he saw his comrade's expression. Fear and confusion pervaded his creased face, causing the mercenary's muscles to coil instinctively.

Rumlow stopped about ten feet away from the Winter Soldier before allowing the mysterious woman to catch up. As she continued to come closer, he started to see why there was so much tension in the air. His heart skipped a beat. It was her. Before him in flesh and blood was the woman that devoured his attention. He started to surge forward, to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him, to see if it was truly her. The light danced across her skin and her oiled hair. She was much skinnier and smaller than remembered, but it didn't matter. She was back.

She lifted her head to meet his gaze and he stopped mid-step. There was something terribly wrong. It was her, he was sure of it, but her face and eyes. It was if staring into his own reflection. The shadows that lay waste to her mind now reflected through the glassy orbs and no longer permeated the life that once held true. They were soldier eyes, his own.

Standing a distance away, Ghost looked to Rumlow for answers. The tan man refused to meet his gaze, instead stared at the woman known as Mara.

"Boss says that training is to resume immediately." he shifted between his feet, a sign of uncomfortability. "Let's start with you two." Rumlow walked to the side, turning on the rest of the lights. The newfound brightness illuminated the woman in front of him. He could see all the scars and bruises that splashed across her skin, the dark red streaks. Rage threatened to take over as he saw the damage she was inflicted. He silently wondered what happened to her and where she had been.

Mara walked to the mat in the middle of the gym, waiting for him to do the same. His muscles moved before his brain and positioned him adjacent from her. He searched her oval face, waiting for her to come back. Vacant eyes only replied. Rumlow returned to the mat.

"Ready?" Ghost nodded as Mara remained still. The tan agent frowned but continued. "Go."

The Winter Soldier docked his feet in a sturdy fighting stance. The dark haired woman didn't move. He calculated an attack, something that would get her down easily and relatively pain free. Springing forward, he went to grapple her from the waist, but she moved quickly away, deflecting his metal arm. He tried again but time after time she evaded his grasp with a speed he never knew she possessed. Frustrated, he went for a right hook and was surprised when she grabbed it easily and sent him to the ground with a simple pull. This was not how she fought, her usually teasing fighting style was lost to this new efficient assault. She barely moved a muscle yet was winning this spar. Getting angrier, he decided it was time to screw going easy but he didn't want to hurt her even more than she currently was. Confliction warred within his mind as he leaped at her, grabbing a fist full of her shirt. He pulled her down in a roll and straddled on top of her, grabbing one wrist in his grasp.

She looked at him, fully complacent and impassive. There was no determination, no competition. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly and she reached up with her free hand to the side of his mechanical arm. Sliding her fingernails underneath one of plates, she ripped it out, exposing the circuitry. Foreseeing the future, he tried to move out of her range but she pulled out the wires within seconds. Ghost felt his arm go limp and immobile. She had actually disarmed him, no normal human could completely pry out a metal plate. There was something different physically, not just mentally. Mara dropped the wires on the ground as he got to his feet again, and crouched in a low kneel. He ran towards her trying to get the upper hand again, and she swiped her leg to trip him. Jumping in time, he soared over her. She powered her hands up to grab his ankles and stood. This left his ankles higher than the rest of his upper body and he found himself face down in the mats. The little killer quickly positioned herself on his back and grabbed his hair within her thin digits. She retched his head backwards and grasped his neck with her other hand. He was powerless in her hold, one less arm and a death hold on his throat proved this. Finding himself replaying all the times he lost to her, it had never been like this. They fought with respect for each other. This was merciless and efficient as if he was truly her target. If he had been, right now he would be dead.

She got up from his back, slowly releasing his hair. Stalking to the side of the mat, she waited for the next round. The Winter Soldier sat up. Looking to her, he made a decision. This was not Mara. Mara was dead. What stood before him was a husk of her skin filled with poison. She was what is left of the woman with fire in her eyes and a laugh in her smile. She was a fake, a fraud. He rose from the ground and prepared himself. He would not lose to an imposter, and most of all, he would not lose her. He'd find a way. A way to bring her back from the dead. He had to try.

* * *

Hello loves! I can't believe how long it's been! I'm so sorry but it's been ridiculous over here and my birthday was yesterday! So as a belated birthday gift, I'm giving you all another chapter! Yay! So I hopefully got across what I wanted without too much confusion. I hope everyone is well! Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! You each are dear to my heart!


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